I thought I knew everything there was to know about essential oils. I've been using them ever since my father, Gary Greenfield, introduced me to the incredibly powerful oil of oregano nearly 18 years ago. I quickly adopted oil of oregano as part of my health regimen—using it for everything from supporting my immune system to balancing my gut microbiome to cleaning my teeth. I've also done tons of podcasts about essential oils, including:

The Wizard Of Essential Oils Strikes Again: The Hidden & Magical World Of Little-Known Plant Extracts For Digestion, Relaxation, Libido, Immunity & Much More! with Dr. Nick Berry.
Everything You Need To Know About Essential Oils For Fat Loss, Performance, Smart Drugs, Scar Healing, Detoxing And More, With Dr. Sarah Lobisco.
The Best Book That Exists For Learning About The Healing Power of Essential Oils And How To Use Them: Soothe Inflammation, Boost Mood, Prevent Autoimmunity & Much More, With Dr. Eric Zielinski.
Psychoactive Sleep Edibles, Essential Oil Wizardry, Cosmic Orgasms & More With Dr. Nick Berry

I am constantly diffusing essential oils in my bedroom and office; sniff oils like peppermint, rosemary, and cinnamon pre-workout; rub oils into the feet of my children before they go to bed at night; and basically check every box of being a full-on, card-carrying essential oil hippie.

But, after recently reading the book Essential Oils to Boost the Brain and Heal the Body: 5 Steps to Calm Anxiety, Sleep Better, and Reduce Inflammation to Regain Control of Your Health by my friend Jodi Cohen, I wound up learning a host of new information and uses for essential oils I had previously been unfamiliar with. So naturally, I just had to get Jodi on my podcast.

Jodi is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist, functional practitioner, and founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, where she has combined her training in nutritional therapy and aromatherapy to create unique proprietary blends of organic and wild-crafted essential oils. She has helped over 70,000 clients heal from brain-related challenges, including anxiety, insomnia, and autoimmunity.

Her website, vibrantblueoils.com, is visited by over 500,000 natural health seekers every year, and she has rapidly become a top resource for essential oils education on the Internet today. Jodi believes that just as your cell phone or laptop slows down and drains the battery when too many tabs are left open, your brain fatigues when poorly functioning systems or ailments drain its energy.

Complaints of brain fog, fatigue, and ADD/ADHD are on the rise and growing every year. All of these factors can block your brain's ability to detoxify and heal. If toxins are not eliminated, they recirculate in the brain, leading to inflammation, which further compromises your brain. What's more, formal diagnoses of brain-related health challenges like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS are increasing exponentially.

Here's her good news: Plant-based essential oils are a powerful self-care tool for transforming your life and healing on many levels, even when prescription drugs have failed. In Jodi Cohen’s five-step protocol outlined in her book, the body's natural systems are jump-started with essential oil recipe blends that can:

Alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression
Improve sleep
Calm pain and inflammation
Increase energy, sharpen focus, and improve memory
Improve digestion and promote weight loss
Strengthen the immune system

Armed with Cohen’s five steps in her book, and this podcast, you’ll be able to start your own essential oils regimen immediately and be on your way to a healthier body and brain.

During this discussion, you'll discover: -The Vibrant Blue Oils blend Jodi used during the interview that improves body circulation...09:05

Circulation blend
- Black pepper to a circulatory blend enhances synergy of the blend
- Helps with oxygen flow, thought, reactivity, etc.
Datis Kharrazian
Master Cleanse fast
BioGeometry Protection Of Your Home, Plant Medicine, Parenting, Stacking Rocks, Stages Of Human Consciousness & More With Paul Chek.
FUM pen

-Stressful experiences that led to Jodi getting interested in essential oils...13:10

Jodi's daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her son was diagnosed with depression
Collapsed emotionally after her son was under proper care
Ingesting what she thought was the proper nutrition (trained as a nutritionist)
A friend gave her a gift of essential oils; said her gut was damaged to not ingest the nutrition she was taking in
Muscle testing technique to narrow into the most effective remedy
Suffering from insomnia
Pineal gland doesn't secrete melatonin when cortisol is released in excess
Researched essential oils and realized two things
1. Very little was researched on how essential oils balance physiology
2. Existing research was too complicated
Oils can be used for preventative medicine

-How topical administration of essential oils affects the vagus nerve and the organ system...21:06

Clinical practice inconsistent with the research
Topical application does not have a systemic benefit
- Behind the ears for vagal nerve stimulation
- Above the kidneys on the lower back for the adrenals
Clinical practice was inconsistent with what the research said
Research on topical application says it is not very effective
- Applying topical application on a sore knee after a workout has an almost immediate effect but a topical application on the knee does not relieve soreness on your neck
Kevin Tracey, surgically implementing devices behind the ear to activate vagus nerve
FDA has approved this for epilepsy, migraines, and such
Stimulatory oils to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (experiment with blends)
- Parasympathetic blend for the vagus nerve; trigger a systemic response by stimulating the vagus nerve
- Adrenal blend for the adrenals
Acupuncture and oils alleviate stagnation and congestion with the energy
Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto

-What phenylpropanoids are...27:01

Plant constituents involved in flavonoid synthesis
Terry Wahls wrote foreword to Jodi's book
Advocates plant diversity and essential oils
Good for the digestive process, act as prebiotics
Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple by David Stewart
Breast cancer treatments target hormone receptors and prevent cancer cells from metastasizing
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
Essential oils are fat-soluble, can access the cell and clean cell receptors

-Application points on the body that can elicit a certain response with essential oils...30:30

Reflex points are on the bottom of the feet and ears
Big toe correlated with the brain
Err on the side of caution with a carrier oil
Parasympathetic blend has clove and lime for the vagus nerve; use as an acupuncture needle
Only pressed citrus blends may have potential for harm to the skin in the sun (distilled isn't as harmful)
Vagus nerve infection hypothesis
Mouth is a hotbed for most infections
The jaw drains near the earlobe where it intersects with the vagus nerve
Dr. Christine Schaffer of Immanence Health in Seattle
Topically applying oils on the neck has many benefits
Lymph is like a one-way street

-The best carrier oils for different situations...41:18

Different oils work differently as carrier oils
Fractionated coconut oils for the vagus nerve
Jojoba oil for slower, yoga-type effect
Most essential oil research looks at blends, not single oils

-How essential oils can be used to stimulate pineal gland function...43:18

Circadian Rhythm blend, with rose geranium, grapefruit, melaleuca, myrtle, lavender, myrrh, balsam of Peru, with fractionated coconut oil as carrier
Pineal gland releases melatonin in response to darkness
- Melatonin is great for detoxifying
Blood-brain barrier doesn't protect the pineal gland; blood flow is very high in that area
Glyphosate, aluminum, and fluoride from the water hits the pineal gland harder than other parts of the brain (impedes ability to release melatonin)
Most remedies can't get into the brain due to the blood-brain barrier
They remove calcification, congestion
Remove chelation in the brain area
Skin above the ears is very thin, ideal place to apply oils
Things imbalanced in most people (as discussed in the book):
- Stuck in the parasympathetic fight or flight state of the nervous system so they can't heal
- Lack of sleep; sleep is when the brain detoxifies; the brain cleans house during sleep
- Energy
- Immune modulation
People report better recall of dreams and even erotic dreams using the Circadian Rhythm blend

-Using essential oils as anesthetics...49:13

Essential oils improve blood and lymph flow, relieve inflammation
Peppermint is efficacious for pain relief
Parasympathetic blend, with clove and lime, calms pain signals
Smelling as a general anesthetic - takes priority over all your senses
Nose cells are actually brain cells; calms your nervous system that way
Topically apply peppermint, basil, lavender, and frankincense for immediate relief

-How cinnamon oil is used for blood sugar regulation...51:51

Different types of cinnamon oil depending on where on the plant it comes from
Cinnamon bark for appetite suppression
- Topically apply in inner cheek, diluted with coconut oil
Oil pulling is a great strategy
Jodi's oil pulling strategy:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 30 drops of either peppermint or cinnamon
Cinnamon oil is also a great mosquito repellant
Thieves oil
BGF oral health podcasts:

-The 5 keys to health Jodi systematizes in her book...56:15

Shifting the nervous system into parasympathetic
Improving sleep and detoxifying the brain
Fueling the brain with energy; lymphatic flow
Reducing stress, improving mood, weight loss, and increasing energy
Modulating the immune system

Inhale through the left nostril as an antidote to anxiety attacks
The Healing Code by Alexander Loyd
Apply on the forehead for hypothalamus to "reboot to factory settings"
- The adrenals and the thyroid are controlled by the hypothalamus
- The hypothalamus is the "CEO of the endocrine system"
Brain inflammation is responsible for fatigue, memory loss, pain
Immune cells in the brain are different from immune cells in the body
Frankincense can turn off inflammatory cascade in the brain (similar to CBD)
The most efficient way to apply oils is at the base of the brain

-A day in the life of an essential oils expert...1:04:19

Morning exercise, oil pulling - peppermint with coconut oil
Enhance circulation with Circulation blend mentioned above
Combine with Lymph oil
Parasympathetic state optimizes digestion
- Parasympathetic blend before meals
Circadian rhythm blend before bed (in an Epsom salt bath)
Your skin is your largest organ
For relaxation before bed, combine in a bath (mix in the tub so the oil doesn't float on top):
- 2 cups of baking soda
- 1 cup of Epsom salt
- 3 drops of lavender
Any essential oil diffuser will work fine; be sure to clean regularly with vinegar so you're not diffusing mold, and avoid overuse

-Compelling research Jodi has discovered since writing her book...1:09:08

Linda Buck research on effects of rose oil on olfactory receptors
Stay in the parasympathetic state as much as possible
Jodi's free gift "Boost the Brain" (an entire chapter from her book on the vagus nerve)
Ensure the oils you use are organic

-And much more! Resources from this episode:

- Jodi Cohen:

- Podcasts:

- Books:

The Cure In the Cupboard By Cass Ingram
Hidden Messages In Water By Masaru Emoto
Chemistry Of Essential Oils Made Simple By David Stewart
The Healing Code By Alexander Loyd

- Other resources:

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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Jodi or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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