Why dōTERRA?
With a background of 18 years in healthcare I have often seen too much focus on illness.
Too many people seem reliant on the health care system for their own health and well-being. It is heartbreaking to watch.
I am a busy mum of three and have had my fair share of illness and struggles, namely winter illnesses with two little kids in school and daycare – the cycle seemed endless and exhausting.
My first contact with dōTERRA essential oils was a game changer for our family. Suddenly we had easy and affordable tools to help us combat some of these problems with the Home Essentials kit. On Guard, Tea Tree and Oregano for immune support, Lavender to help us sleep better, Peppermint and Lemon to help us focus, Easy Air for help with respiratory support, and Frankincense when we just needed that ‘hug in a bottle’.
From there the progression was natural. If these little bottles of pure goodness could help my family, they could definitely help empower others with simple, natural solutions.
From stress and brain fog, head tension and fatigue, sleep issues and worry – the saying ‘there’s and oil for that’ is not a trick.
Being able to empower others is something I feel strongly about.
Helping others around the world
Frankincense in Somalia
For generations, frankincense has been harvested in Somalia using Boswellia trees like Carterii, Frereana, and Sacra, that produce a wide variety of frankincense resin. Carterii trees typically grow best in sandy soil, producing small resin. The resin tears from the Carterii species are some of the most commonly harvested types of resin, and usually have a very round shape. Unlike the Carterii trees, Frereana trees do not thrive on sandy soil, but need a dry, rocky climate to produce the largest resin of the three species. The third species, Sacra trees, require limestone soil to thrive, which is why they are typically found near large boulders or cliffs.
Vetiver in Haiti
In the 1930s, the perfume industry introduced Vetiver grass to Haiti. Surprisingly, Vetiver can grow amidst Haiti’s harsh conditions, even in areas where nutrient-deficient soil makes it difficult to grow food. Today, the Vetiver root produces a complex essential oil, used commonly for fragrances.
For Vetiver farmers in Haiti, harvesting and producing Vetiver oil is a labor-intensive process. After allowing the roots to mature for 16 to 18 months, farmers must dig the plant out of the ground and beat any excess dirt out of the roots — leaving only the pure Vetiver root. Farmers gather 500 bales of Vetiver to fill 20-foot stills, which will produce one gallon of oil once it is harvested. Using this system, it takes most farmers roughly two weeks to produce a single gallon of Vetiver oil — that’s with five farmers working for about 15 days to complete the process.
Wintergreen in Nepal
Ylang Ylang in Madagascar
French perfumers introduced Ylang Ylang to Madagascar during the late 1800s, when the island nation was under French rule. Today, Madagascar produces some of the highest quality Ylang Ylang oil in the world through a refined process of distillation. More specifically, the people on the island of Nosy Be, off the northwest coast of Madagascar, work to grow, harvest, and distill Ylang Ylang oil for dedicated buyers like dōTERRA.