Visit our Fan Page
|
| | |
|
|
Blue Tansy Essential Oil
Profile of a Cooling Qi Regulator
Peter Holmes L.Ac., M.H.
© Peter Holmes 2010
The valuable, cobalt-blue-colored Blue tansy oil is extracted from a common North African weed in the daisy family. Almost everyone is immediately attracted to its sweet yet refreshing, soothing scent. Like Bergamot oil, Blue tansy is an important Qi regulator, but with a difference.
Blue tansy is one of the best oils for treating conditions of general Qi constraint. Here body and mind are tense, reactive, irritable and tend to heat, and immediately respond to stress in an injurious way. The result is systemic Qi stagnation or constraint. Typical symptoms that can arise in this type of individual can be grouped around the concepts of tension, pain, heat and hypersensitivity. Immediate allergies with acute inflammation, for instance, are classic modern wind-heat conditions stemming from constrained Qi, and no other oil comes close to Blue Tansy's ability to address them. In hayfever, sinusitis, middle ear inflammations, this oil should also be used in steam inhalations (perhaps with Lavender, for instance). In atopic asthma from stress, where the Liver Qi invades the Lung, causing it to accumulate instead of descend, Blue tansy is excellent — even without the support of other Lung-Qi descending oils such as Hyssop and Thyme. When constrained Qi causes unexplained, psychosomatic aches and pains, or rheumatic or neuralgic pain, Blue tansy is again a classic. Headaches, sciatica and so on will be relieved with it. Here Blue tansy is one of the best oils for depression with anxiety, or agitated forms of depression.
Milder versions of systemic Qi constraint can be seen in the patterns Liver Qi stagnation and Heart Qi stagnation. The first can lead to the second pattern (as it commonly does); in some cases the reverse pathway can occur; and in more serious conditions, the syndrome Liver-Heart Qi stagnation will emerge.
Chronic overwork and drug abuse, as well as worry and fear, can over time injure the Heart Yin. Blue tansy is perfect for Heart Yin deficiency patterns with insomnia, palpitations and general nervous tension. Likewise, when longstanding anger and resentment fester as unresolved emotions, the Liver Yin will suffer. Blue tansy is not just a supreme smoother of Liver Qi but also a deep nourisher of Liver Yin. This syndrome is also seen in women with excessive menstrual or postpartum blood loss, where Blue tansy should be combined with Geranium, for example. Blue tansy should also be considered in patterns of Liver Yang rising.
On surface tissues, Blue tansy essentially releases wind-damp-heat from the skin and channels. Skin rashes with itching or burning pain are its prime domain, as well as bi syndromes presenting pain, redness and swelling. This includes acute arthritis, fibromyalgia with tender spots and any chronic inflammation of the muscles and tendons.
The effect of Blue tansy oil on the shen or mind is essentially relaxing. In the context of the above syndromes, it will do two things. First, it will harmonize the mind to treat mind disharmony when disturbed by constrained Qi. Second, it will calm the mind to treat mind agitation when disturbed by Yin deficiency and/or heat. More often than not, Blue tansy is used for the commonplace and today unavoidable conditions of mind disharmony when they tend to heat.
|
| |
| | |
|
|