Orris Root Essential Oil

Imagine taking 1000 kilos of a plant, dissolving them in water, then distilling them just to get 2 liters of a certain oil. Do you think it would be worth it? Going through that much work, using literally tons of plant roots just to get a couple of liters? Logically, most pharmaceutical companies would consider it pointless. And not very cost efficient. But they still do it. They actually don’t care about all the effort. All they care about is getting the essential oil at the end. Why? What’s this super special oil that matters above all else? Orris root essential oil.

Orris root essential oil is a pale yellowish liquid extracted from the roots of the Iris germanica plant. The use of these roots dates back to Ancient Greek and Romans. They knew of the therapeutic wonders of these roots, incorporating then in several remedial concoctions. The amazing floral aroma of the Orris root essential oil made it a constant additive in most perfumes back then. Even today, it’s one of the leading ingredients in the perfume industry. But aside from industrial purposes, what can Orris root essential oil do for you? Well, if you have liver or urinary problems, suffer from diarrhea or some sort of inflammation, have congested lungs or a bad mood, this oil will fix you up. And the best thing, these therapeutic uses barely scratch the surface. There’s so much more Orris root essential oil can do and it’s all thanks to its major components which are:

-Irone (it’s not a typo for iron).

-methyl myristate

-Ionone

-Isoflavones

-Iridin

-Irilone irigenin

-Triterpenes

-Beta-amyrin

-Beta-sitosterol

Healthy heart

The first component of Orris root essential oil is methyl myristate. Basically, it’s a methylated form of myristic acid. And….you probably have no idea what that is. Actually, not only you, but many scientists are still confused when it comes to myristic acid. Several studies show that myristic acid is “hypercholesterolemic”, which means it raises your blood cholesterol levels. You’ve probably heard how dangerous elevated cholesterol levels can be and how it can contribute to heart diseases, right? But wait. Before you judge Orris root essential oil, here’s the deal. Not all cholesterol is bad. Yes, it’s true. There’s literally something called “good cholesterol” and something called “bad cholesterol”. The bad cholesterol is called LDL (Low density lipoprotein) and it’s responsible for clogging up your arteries and leading to atherosclerosis and heart diseases. It’s one of the leading causes of angina and even sudden heart attacks. On the other hand, good cholesterol, called HDL (high density lipoprotein), protects you from all of that. Basically, you want more HDL and less LDL in your blood if you want a healthy heart. And that’s why myristic acid in Orris root essential oil is innocent. It doesn’t raise your cholesterol levels and cause any harm. It raises your HDL levels which is exactly what you need for a healthy heart! In fact, several studies showed that Mediterranean people have the least risk of heart diseases just because their diets consisted of HDL-raising and LDL-lowering fatty acids. Talk about an absolute necessity.

No more breast cancer

Another major component of Orris root essential oil is the “isoflavones”. These are powerful chemical compounds, known to be the secret behind all the therapeutic benefits of soy products. But soy products aren’t the only ones rich in isoflavones. Orris root essential oil contains a significant amount making it perfect for treating heart diseases, osteoporosis and even several cancers. So how do isoflavones do it? Let’s start with the worst of all: cancer.

Cancer is simply a cell that woke up one day and decided that it won’t die. Unlike most cells, once it’s lifespan was over, it continued to grow. And it’s growth was dangerously fast, spreading and infecting neighboring cells, until a tumor was formed.  A lot of factors can encourage tumor growth. Estrogen is one of them. That’s why women are a lot more liable to certain cancers than men. For example, breasts are full of estrogen receptors so they’re one of the most common occurrences of cancer in women. So where do isoflavones come in? How do they stop the cancer?

Well, the isoflavones in Orris root essential oil have something called “estrogenic activity”. That means they look and act a bit like estrogen. But wait, that doesn’t make sense, does it? If estrogen made the breast cancer WORSE, why would something “estrogen-like” treat the cancer? Think about it this way: estrogen is really strong and makes the cancer grow really fast. But you can’t get rid of your estrogen, your body wouldn’t know what to do. So what if you gave your body something that LOOKS like estrogen, but is much weaker and doesn’t help the tumor grow? Eventually, the tumor would just fade away. That’s exactly how the isoflavones of Orris root essential oil work. They’re perfect for fighting breast cancer. Sure, there are other options like chemotherapy and radioactive treatments but with cancer, it’s always better to fight with both hands than to rely on just one. In fact, researchers believe that the reason Japan has one of the lowest incidences of breast cancer is because of their soy isoflavones- rich diets. Some researchers carried out a study to show how the consumption of isoflavones influenced girls during puberty, when the breasts were still developing. They found that the girls who ate more than 3 portions of isoflavones per week had a much lower risk of breast cancer. 40% lower, actually. That’s a lot.

Menopausal symptoms

Menopausal symptoms are the worst. Hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and hair loss are just the tip of the iceberg. And most of these can occur on a daily basis. Usually, this is due to a lack of estrogen. During menopause, estrogen levels start to drop severely to the point where symptoms and signs start to show. That’s why it’s great to have something with estrogenic activity like the isoflavones in Orris root essential oil. They help make up for the estrogen deficiency by binding to estrogen receptors. Your body will barely be able tell the difference. But you will. You’ll immediately see improvements. Especially with the hot flashes.

Fibroids and endometriosis 

Fibroids and endometriosis are common problems that women suffer from at all ages. And as if these diseases weren’t painful and frustrating enough, the worst part is that they can lead to hysterectomy. That means removing the uterus and not being able to have children ever again. But don’t worry, you can reduce the risk of fibroids and endometriosis by having a diet rich in isoflavones. The isoflavones in Orris root essential oil reduce these risks significantly, protecting you and your uterus. In fact, 1172 women were asked to participate in a study to see the affects of isoflavone-containing foods on their health. After six years, researchers found that the women who had isoflavones-rich diets had the lowest rates of hysterectomy. This proves that isoflavones like the ones found in Orris root essential oil are absolutely vital to a woman’s reproductive health.

Prostate cancer (Benign prostatic hyperplasia) 

So Orris root essential oil can do wonders for ladies, but about men? What can it do for them? Well, men are very liable to a form of benign cancer called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Basically, their prostate becomes enlarged. And where is the prostate, exactly? Right around the urethra. So what happens when the prostate becomes enlarged? It starts to squeeze the urethra and that’s when you start to feel pain during urination. It’s like when you squeeze a garden hose. Doesn’t the water just shoot out? Unfortunately, that can’t happen during urination. So instead, you’re left with severe pain and the need to frequently use the bathroom. So how does Orris root essential oil help?

Orris root essential oil contains an important ingredient called beta-sitosterol. It’s basically a steroid but from plant origin. That means it’s much safer and doesn’t have all the side effects we hear about when it comes to steroids. Remember how estrogen was making cancer grow so we blocked it with isoflavones? We’re going to use the same trick here. The beta-sitosterol blocks some chemicals that make your prostate grow at an alarming rate. It stops the spread of cancer cells to neighboring ones. Beta-sitosterol can even make cancer cells self-destruct by inducing a process called “apoptosis”. Essentially, the cancer starts to shrink and your prostate goes back to normal. All your urination problems go away. That means that Orris root essential oil not only helps with the symptoms of prostate cancer but also helps fight it.

Cholesterol 

Beta-sitosterol can also work on lowering LDL levels in blood. Remember how the key to a healthy heart was high HDL and low LDL? Orris root essential oil has two different components that do just that: myristic acid and beta-sitosterol. In fact, studies showed that beta-sitosterol even lowers the absorption of cholesterol from your intestines. So if you eat heavy, fatty meals and mess up your diet, Orris root essential oil has your back.

Antioxidants

Many of the components of Orris root essential oil act as antioxidants. You’ve probably seen health and fitness gurus constantly promoting antioxidant products. The problem is, most of them are synthetic and very expensive. Why not go for a much safer and cheaper natural alternative like Orris root essential oil? So how do these antioxidants everyone is hyped about work? They’re called “free radical scavengers”. That means they hunt down something called free radicals. Free radicals are harmful substances that are constantly being produced in your body. They’re responsible for your body feeling and looking older. Wrinkled skin? Age marks? Unhealthy organs? Diseases? All thanks to free radicals.

They’re so unstable and highly reactive that they latch on to any tissue they can find and start affecting its functions. These free radicals are formed in your body no matter what you do. They’re byproducts of natural physiological reactions going on in your body. Even exposure to sunlight can cause free radicals to appear in your skin. They’re bad news. You want to get rid of them. And that’s why you need antioxidants so much.

Antioxidants sacrifice themselves for you. Instead of the free radicals reacting with your body tissues, they’re forced to react with the antioxidants. Your tissues and organs remain healthy and intact. For example, by neutralizing the free radicals produced in your skin, antioxidants can significantly reduce its aging process. You can look years younger than you really are. Who doesn’t want to be 50 but look 30? Who doesn’t want to get rid of wrinkles and aged-looking skin?

Liver

Beta-amyrin is the reason Orris root essential oil is one of the products of choice for a healthy liver. It was actually proven to protect against liver injuries and keep your liver safe from toxins and toxic metabolites. In one study, researchers gave some mice a large dose of paracetamol. Large enough to cause severe and fatal liver damage. Normally, when a liver is injured, a lot of enzymes start to flow out such as AST and ALT. They measured those. Then they got another group of poor mice and gave them beta-amyrin like the kind found in Orris root essential oil. Then they tried to induce the same kind of liver damage with paracetamol. Upon comparing the results, they found that the group who took the beta-amyrin had a much healthier liver with much fewer enzymes leaking out. It even reduced the risk of death by 50%! Your liver will absolutely love Orris root essential oil!

Other uses 

Orris root essential oil has countless other benefits that scientist haven’t been able to contribute to just one component. For example, it’s commonly used to treat diarrhea. That’s actually one of its oldest traditional uses. Orris root essential oil also contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties. This comes in handy in all kinds of conditions. Sometimes your skin can become swollen or inflamed. You start to see red, itchy, irritating spots all over. That’s when you need a soothing emollient that has anti-inflammatory properties to calm it down. This also comes in handy in case of benign prostatic hyperplasia where the urinary system can become inflamed from the enlargement and the swelling. And as for arthritis patients, they not only benefit from the inflammation-taming effects of Orris root essential oil, but also from its mild pain relief. Physical problems aside, this essential oil can work on the emotional level as well. It’s known to have an energizing, uplifting effect. It makes you feel much better on the inside. This is why Orris root essential oil is one of the main oils used in aromatherapy and relaxation sessions. Say goodbye to all your stress and problems.

Blend Orris root essential oil with others

You can combine Orris root essential oil with many other essential oils to get as much of its therapeutic benefits as possible. That’s actually the great thing about Orris root. While most essential oils are not compatible with other oils and can lead to reactions, Orris root essential oil can be safely blended with countless types of oils such as :

-rose

-frankincense

-jasmine

-all citrus

-ylang

-lavender

-Melissa

-silver fir

-orange blossom absolute

-carnation

-neroli

-inula

-marjoram

-sandalwood

-musk mallow

-bergamot

-cedar

-tuberose

-geranium.

As you can see, Orris root essential oil is something you definitely want to include in your diet. It’s generally considered safe with the exception of a few special individuals. For example, people with very sensitive stomachs might not be suited for Orris root essential oil or almost any kind of essential oil. Other people might have sensitive skin. They might be allergic to one or more components of Orris root essential oil and not even know. So just to be sure, it’s always better to do a skin test when trying out anything topically. Just put a drop or two on a small area of your skin. If any redness or irritation occurs, there’s a chance you might be allergic to certain components. That’s actually a good heads-up because many of the natural components of Orris root essential oil are being mimicked into synthetic ones with much worse allergic reactions. So you’ll know what to avoid in the future.

The last group of people who should avoid Orris root essential oil are pregnant moms. During pregnancy, almost everything is prohibited. It’s frustrating when you want to use or eat something that is perfectly normal for others but you can’t. Orris root essential oil is one of those. And since it plays a role in hormone levels, with its estrogenic activity and such, doctors usually don’t recommend it for pregnant and breastfeeding moms. Other than these special individuals, Orris root essential oil is absolutely safe. And you only need to use a few drops to get the results you want. It really is a therapeutic wonder that not many know of, but those who do, fall in love with the Orris root.

@OilAdmin