Episode 271: Get to Know Holiday Peace

Crisp, inviting, and magical, the Holiday Peace blend offers everything you want for this holiday season.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA—the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lavender, a plant that’s been treasured and revered for almost 3,000 years. Wherever you’re headed on adventures, make sure that Lavender is always with you so that you stay doTERRA Ready.

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Today we’re excited to take a look at the plants inside the beautiful Holiday Peace Blend, where Siberian, Douglas, and Himalayan Fir are complemented by Grapefruit, Frankincense, and Vetiver. If you’re interested in learning more about Holiday Peace, make sure to click on the link in the episode description.

Today we’re going to talk about some internal historical uses for some of these plants, but we want to remind you that not all of these oils and blends are for internal use and should only be used aromatically or topically. Any internal benefits discussed for the individual oils in the blend are not applicable to aromatic or topical use. Also, various plant parts, such as the leaves, bark, flower, stem, fruit, peel, bud, resin, etc., were often used for many different practices and benefits. These historical uses are mentioned here to offer insight as we explore the history of oils and plants. As such, these ancient uses are solely for informational purposes, and are not being advocated or recommended by doTERRA. Proceed at your own risk with such uses.

First, we start with frankincense. Frankincense has been prized and utilized for thousands of years for its scent, as well as its many benefits. The English word frankincense derives from the Old French expression franc encens, meaning “high-quality incense.” With the word franc in Old French meaning “noble” or “pure.”

The resin is also known by the name olibanum, or in Arabic al-lubān, which roughly translates to: “that which results from milking,” which is a reference to the milky sap tapped from the Boswellia tree.

The Boswellia trees, from which the frankincense resin is gathered are considered unusual because they have the amazing ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that they sometimes grow out of solid rock.

Frankincense has been traded on the Arabian Peninsula for more than 6,000 years. Its use was characteristic in religious rites throughout Mesopotamia and the Eastern Mediterranean from the arliest antiquity. The Babylonians and Assyrians would burn Frankincense in religious ceremonies. The Egyptians placed it in body cavities in the mummification process. In fact, the ancient Egyptians bought entire boatloads of the resins from the Phoenicians, using them in incense, perfume, and salves.

Frankincense is used to this day in many Christian churches, including the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. Christian and Islamic Abrahamic faiths have all used frankincense mixed with oils to anoint newborn infants, initiates, as well as members entering into new phases of their spiritual lives.

Next we have three incredible firs, Himalayan Fir, Siberian Fir, and Douglas Fir.

Fir Trees fall under the Abies Genus. There are about 50 species in the subsequent Pinaceae family. Himalayan fir was one of the nine sacred woods used for a sabbat fire and the Druids held the fir in high esteem. It is a symbol of honesty, truth and forthrightness because of the way it grows on the “straight and narrow.”

The Siberian fir is native to Russia and China and its genus name, Abies sibirica, is derived from the Latin “to rise” as a reference to their height.

The word fir comes from the Old English word firgen meaning “mountain forest,” based on ancient words like firre, spelled f-i-r-r-e, and fyr, spelled f-y-r, meaning “fire” and “light.”

One of the interesting features of fir trees is that they grow particularly straight and narrow, and because of this they have traditionally been a symbol of truth and honesty to ancient people. A group of them together was often considered as a symbol of friendship.

Ancient Egyptians valued fir oil very highly, using it on their scalp. Fir trees—really coniferous trees in general—are viewed as the guardian trees of our planet because of their association with purification and cleansing.

Native Americans believed that sleeping on pillows packed with fir needles could help them attain better sleep. These needles and other parts of the tree were also burned for women right after they’d given birth.

Finally, we have the Douglas fir. Now, despite its common name, it is not a true fir, and it is also not a hemlock. In fact, the genus name of Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga, means “false hemlock.” It is actually an evergreen conifer species in the pine family.

Many different Native American groups used the bark, resin, and needles in their wellness practices. Native Hawaiians built double-hulled canoes from coast Douglas fir logs that had drifted ashore. The wood has historically been favored as firewood, especially from the coastal variety. In addition, early settlers used Douglas fir for all forms of building construction, including floors, beams, and fine carving. And the structures built from fir have lasted 150 years and more. These amazing fir oils add a delicious note to this blend.

Compared to the lemon or the orange, the grapefruit is a fairly recent addition to the citrus family. It was first spotted on the island of Barbados in 1750 by Rev. Griffith Hughes, who documented his find in his book The Natural History of Barbados.

Now the genetic origin of the grapefruit is actually a hybrid mix. One ancestor of the grapefruit was the Jamaican sweet orange, which is itself an ancient hybrid of Asian origin; the other was the Indonesian pomelo. One story of the fruit’s origin is that a certain “Captain Shaddock” brought pomelo seeds to Jamaica and bred the first fruit, although it’s more likely that it probably originated as a naturally occurring hybrid between the two plants sometime after they had been introduced there.

Unlike other earlier citrus fruits—like the orange, the lemon, and the lime–the grapefruit received a rather cold reception. Although already swimming in citrus at the time, most fruit lovers in Florida found the grapefruit to be too sour to enjoy on a regular basis. As a result, it was not widely planted when the Florida citrus industry was rapidly expanding. In fact, the grapefruit was just considered an exotic novelty fruit until the late 1920s.

So how did the grapefruit go from being too sour to enjoy on a regular basis to the popular fruit it is today?

At first, the tree was grown only as a novelty in Florida, and the fruit was barely used. Even in Jamaica, the trees were often cut down. The original white grapefruit was joined by a pink and later a red variety that was much sweeter than its predecessors. The discovery of these new shades caught the public’s imagination and helped the little-known fruit become a supermarket staple.

But grapefruit isn’t just known for its delicious taste. It has also been used throughout history for its many benefits. Grapefruit is classified as a sour food. Sour flavors are associated with specific parts of the body. And sour foods are thought to be astringent, cooling, and to help generate yin.

We’re so glad that the popularity of this fruit has grown, because it’s one of our favorites, and it brings just the right amount of tart citrus to this blend.

Vetiver is a holy herb that has its name etched in the oldest sacred book of Hindus known as Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna says, “I am the fragrance of the soil.” Vetiver has had a long and storied history. Its name comes from vetiver, a Tamil word meaning “root that is dug up.”

In India, mats weaved with Vetiver roots are trusted to cool, protect, and refresh their homes during the scorching summer season. Additionally, gods and idols in India are honored with garlands made of Vetiver grass.

In African countries where vetiver grows, the grass is used in making roof thatches, as well as making rugs, baskets, and certain other parts of their homes.

The sweet, woody, earthly, and reviving fragrance of vetiver instills confidence and kindles the aura of the human body by transforming the aura of nature flawlessly. And since the Middle Ages, Vetiver has been commonly used in scents.

Vetiver is also a staple in many Ayurvedic practices. It’s considered as a sacred oil that has the potential to open the crown and root chakras, where chakra is considered as the vital center of power of the human body. Among the seven basic chakras, the oil of vetiver is trusted to kindle the root chakra and pass the vital energy to other chakras as well.

The historical practices and wellness values of Vetiver has also made it a principal part of Abhyanga or the Ayurvedic massage therapy.

Beyond its usefulness in traditional wellness, the woody aroma of Vetiver rounds out this blend in the perfect way.

Holiday Peace is a blend that you’re definitely going to want in your home this season. The scent is reminiscent of wintertime traditions and fills the air with the perfect aroma during the busy holiday season. We know you and your family will love it.

Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today. And remember, if you like what you heard today rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen.