I don't believe it and don't understand what has happened! I had finally finished my Poison's book this morning and was ready to upload it to print. I had saved it...... but it hasn't! It's still there on my desktop, but an older version from way back in January! All the work I have put in over the past few weeks is not there! Can anyone help please..... I am heartbroken!

I really wish when Aromatherapists and other CAM Practitioners write formulations on their websites, books, etc that they would stop using measurements such as spoons and cups and instead use mls (for liquids) and grams (for solids), as this makes formulations more accurate, scalable, and replicable.

Question. I know that we can make herbal healing creams, such as a Calendula cream, using calendula-infused sesame oil, Shea Butter, Distilled Water or Hydrosol, emulsifying wax, vitamin E, and a natural preservative. However, I have seen Calendula creams on the market that use Calendula Tincture, so that for every 1g of cream, you're getting the equivalent of 20mg of dried Calendula flower. How much Calendula tincture would you need to add to a very thick base cream to get a therapeutic dose of 20mg/g equivalent of dry calendula flower? Asking, as there are times when I need Calendula cream, but I am out of it as well as the infused oil, but I always have the tincture in stock.

A very regular client of mine came for a back/neck/shoulder massage to be finished with Reflexology today. Her blend was Benzoin, Palmarosa and Wisteria. I was in heaven..... client fell fast asleep after she turned over for her Rx!😂 What's been your favourite combo recently?

Very often over the years, I have seen so many 'benefits' of EO's but often the information is based on what the plant, read herb, will do and can be far removed from what the EO will do. (Pic #1) Also, and a bug bear of mine, there are so many EO's out there available to the public, which quite frankly, should not be available at all. (Pic no 2) A couple of years ago, I started my next book, entitled The Natural Approach to 'The Poisons': Herbs v Essential Oils. It is very nearly complete, my target is by the end of this weekend. I am not a herbalist by any stretch of the imagination, I'm a Clinical Aromatherapist. However, any Aromatherapist worth their salt, will also look into the original plant material as part of their education. I've thoroughly enjoyed doing this deep dive into the history and the application of herbs today, and comparing that to the Essential Oils. The herbs and EO's in the book are listed on the HDTEO (Hazardous, Dangerous, Toxic Essential Oils) list, and IFRA (International Fragrance Association), and they regulate fragrances used in all types of products that come into contact with human skin. This can over spill into the Aromatherapy industry, obviously. Further the COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) for the UK Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The American equivalent is OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). In Europe, the equivalent is the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) all of whom define essential oils as “a volatile part of a natural product”. I'll update more once I am happy to put the book into print.