“Aromatherapy for women” summary — Maggie Tisserand

Introduction

Modern healthcare often relies on synthetic drugs that mask symptoms while burdening your body with unwanted side effects. You might find yourself trapped in a cycle of pharmaceutical dependency for everyday complaints, minor infections, and cyclical discomforts. This reliance disconnects you from natural healing traditions that have supported women's health for centuries.

Maggie Tisserand argues in Aromatherapy for women that essential oils offer a powerful, chemical-free alternative. You can use these plant essences to manage stress, nurture your children, regulate hormones, and support your body through pregnancy and childbirth.

The book guides you through the practical application of aromatherapy from daily routines to specialized care.

How do you select and blend oils safely?
Which essences relieve common gynaecological concerns?
How can you use aromatherapy during labour?

1. Getting Through the Day

Targeted essential oils provide fast, natural relief for everyday challenges like fatigue, travel sickness, and stress.

Essential oils require precise measurements and dilutions to ensure safety and effectiveness. You can follow basic volume standards for your mixtures:

1ml = 20 drops
5ml = 1 teaspoonful
10ml = 10ml = 2 teaspoonsful
Combine 2-3 drops of essential oil with 1-2 teaspoonsful of base oil
Combine 3-5 drops of essential oil with 2-3 teaspoonsful of base oil

Depression and Fatigue

Clary sage acts as an emotional elevator that uplifts mood and helps detach from stress and depression. Emotions function like an elevator where normal is the ground floor, depression is the lower ground floor, and clary sage lifts the mood by one floor level.

A friend suffering from dire financial problems put three drops of clary sage onto her fragrancer, and within thirty minutes felt her worries float away like a balloon.

Put three drops of clary sage onto a fragrancer
Close the door and window and lie down for half an hour

Basil oil serves as a powerful mental stimulant that clears the mind and revives alertness better than coffee. Basil acts on the brain cells like coffee but without straining the kidneys, making it ideal for combating mid-afternoon slumps or exhaustion.

Keep a bottle of basil in a desk for mid-afternoon use
Add just two drops of basil to a full bath and mix thoroughly

Travel and Sleep

Specific bath routines using rosemary and geranium help restore vitality and combat jet-lag after long flights. After an 11-hour journey, the author's children returned from Michigan exhausted, and after a bath with rosemary and geranium oils, their vitality noticeably increased.

Arrive home mid-morning and go to bed by 1 p.m.
Set an alarm for 6 p.m. and force yourself out of bed
Take a rosemary and geranium bath
Go to bed by 10 p.m. with marjoram oil on a tissue or electric burner and unplug phones
Get up at 9 a.m. the next morning and have a rosemary and lemongrass bath

Inhaling peppermint or lavender vapors from a tissue provides a spill-free remedy for travel sickness and nervous tension. The author used peppermint oil for her eldest daughter when feeling sick after eating on motorways.

Put one drop of peppermint or lavender onto a tissue
Place the impregnated tissue inside a small sandwich-sized plastic bag and put it in the glove compartment
Tear open a small hole in the bag and inhale when needed

The lavender tube method safely traps and directs sedative vapors to help children fall asleep without skin contact. The author invented the lavender tube for her daughters, which automatically falls from their hands when they fall asleep.

Take a stiff sheet of kitchen towel
Put one or two drops of lavender on one edge
Roll the paper into a sausage shape with the lavender in the middle
Let the child hold the tube in their hand until it automatically falls away upon sleeping

Unloading negative thoughts onto paper paired with marjoram oil promotes deep and natural sleep without tranquillizers. Writing down circular negative thoughts helps unburden the mind, while marjoram or lavender provides a natural sedative alternative to synthetic drugs.

Write down negative thoughts on pen and paper until unburdened
Sprinkle marjoram oil onto an electric burner
Tear up the written letter in the morning
Add five or six drops of lavender to a comfortably hot bath and lie back without scrubbing

Aches and Hangovers

Upward circular massage combined with essential oils disperses lactic acid and restores suppleness to aching muscles. Pain results from lactic acid buildup after overexertion; massaging gently and increasing pressure helps clear this buildup.

Massage the affected muscle or group of muscles in a circular movement
Always direct the massage upwards towards the heart
Begin gently and gradually apply more pressure as pain is tolerated
Add essential oils into a base oil for enhanced treatment

Geranium and neroli oils help calm the central nervous system and relieve anxiety states like nervous diarrhoea.

Take one or two drops of geranium oil on brown sugar or in honey water an hour or two prior to an event
Wear neroli oil diluted in jojoba as a perfume

Hydration, targeted essential oils, and sandalwood relieve the systemic toxicity and pain of a hangover. Alcohol causes severe dehydration and depletes fluids; water, peppermint for nausea, and sandalwood for kidney aches accelerate recovery.

Drink a large glass of still bottled water
Take a long aromatic bath with rosemary or juniper
Take a drop of peppermint in warm honey water or on brown sugar to combat nausea
Massage a little lavender oil into the nape of the neck
Lie down with a lavender or geranium compress across the forehead
Rub sandalwood oil into the lower back area to soothe kidney ache

Essential oils can be added directly to tea leaves to create custom aromatic infusions like Earl Grey.

Put Japanese green tea or Indian black tea into a pot
Add one drop of bergamot or peppermint oil for black tea, or lemon and orange oil for either type
Add 3-4 cups of hot water for bergamot and peppermint, or 1-2 cups for lemon and orange
Drink while fresh

2. Remedies for Children and Blending

Gentle essential oil treatments protect children's developing immune systems while proper blending techniques ensure safe application.

Childhood Illnesses

Essential oils and natural remedies can successfully manage many childhood illnesses without routinely resorting to antibiotics or painkillers. The author argues that frequent use of beneficial bowel flora destroyers weakens the immune system. Gentle remedies allow the natural defense systems of your child to respond efficiently to acute infections.

The author raised her three children without a single course of antibiotics, vaccinations, or painkillers, successfully treating various childhood ailments naturally. During the 1989 flu epidemic, local school classes of 30-plus pupils were reduced to 10 while natural treatments kept households resilient.

Never take unnecessary risks and call a doctor if an acute illness does not respond and life is in jeopardy.
Take care of your own well-being by eating and resting while nursing.
Keep a cool head and seek medical advice if panicky.

Jojoba and sweet almond oil with a hint of rose or lavender provide a safe alternative to mineral-based baby oils for infant skin. The author used sweet almond oil with a little rose oil to treat her newborn son's wrinkled and dry skin instead of using mineral-based chemist baby oils.

Add a minute amount of rose and lavender oil to a base oil.
Gently stroke the mixture into dry parts of the baby's body.
Use jojoba in the nappy changing routine to act as a barrier against moisture.

A warm essential oil compress applied to the abdomen provides a natural and sugar-free relief for infant colic. Proprietary gripe water contains high amounts of sugar and only offers temporary relief. Essential oil compresses soothe the nervous system and relieve abdominal discomfort without internal sugar ingestion.

The author used a camomile water compress on her baby's tummy instead of gripe water to treat three-month colic.

Add one drop of essence to a small bottle of cold water and shake vigorously.
Pour liquid into a glass bowl and top up with hot water until comfortably warm.
Wring out a handkerchief in the camomile water and apply to the baby's tummy.
Place a small towel on top of the compress to keep the area warm for half an hour.

Inula oil diluted in a carrier oil clears up acute or chronic sinus infections within a remarkably short time. The author's son, who was allergic to dairy products and sensitive to smoke and fumes, found relief from infected sinuses using inula.

Well dilute inula in jojoba or a nut oil.
Gently rub the mixture into the sinuses at either side of the nose.
Apply two or three times over 24 hours to clear the infection.

A highly diluted, successively shaken essential oil wash relieves itching and prevents scratching during chicken pox. The author successfully treated her son and two daughters for chicken pox using a highly diluted peppermint wash that immediately stopped their need to scratch.

Add 1 drop of peppermint oil to a 1-litre bottle of water and shake vigorously.
Tip out half the contents, top up with water, and shake the bottle again.
Repeat the procedure once more so you end up with 1/4 drop of peppermint oil in 1 litre of water.
Apply the very weak solution to the spots using cotton wool.

A dense essential oil and base oil mixture trapped under a clingfilm wrap effectively suffocates and removes head lice. The author's children happily wore tight clingfilm wraps on their heads like space-invaders for a couple of hours during treatment.

Section the hair from forehead to neck and apply the lice mixture to the scalp.
Pile the hair on top of the head and wrap a long sheet of clingfilm tightly around the head and behind the ears.
Remove clingfilm over the bath and apply shampoo directly to the oily hair to make an emulsion before adding water.
Use a fine-toothed nit comb to dislodge eggs.
Repeat the treatment after 3 days and again after 5 days.

Blending and Application

Creating a harmonious blend of essential oils requires identifying a key essence and testing other oils for aromatic compatibility using blotting paper strips. If therapeutic ingredients are mixed into a product that smells unpleasant to the recipient, the body will unconsciously reject the treatment.

The author demonstrates blending by applying potential shortlisted oils to individual 1/2cm by 12cm paper strips and evaluating their aromas side by side against a central key essence.

Take strips of blotting paper, one for each shortlisted oil.
Put a drop of essence on one strip and write the name at the opposite end.
Designate the most important essence as the key essence.
Place another strip close without touching and smell the two together.
Discard unharmonious essences and continue testing until satisfied with the blend.

Essential oils can be dispersed in water without dissolving to create versatile facial cleansers, compresses, and hand washes. Because essential oils do not truly dissolve in water, vigorous shaking is required before every application to temporarily disperse the oil molecules throughout the liquid.

Add 1 to 3 drops of essential oil to 100ml of water for a face cleanser or compress.
Add 5 to 6 drops of essential oil to 100ml of water for a freshener or hand wash.
Cap the bottle securely and shake well.
Shake the bottle again before each subsequent use.

3. Gynaecology, Sexuality, and Massage

Specific botanical essences regulate hormones, relieve gynaecological issues, and enhance sensual wellbeing through structured massage.

Essential oils can successfully treat fungal infections like thrush by acting on a physical level while simultaneously lifting the emotional depression that weakens the immune system. The author used a blend of organically grown lemon oil and niaouli oil internally to treat a recurring case of thrush, based on properties described by Dr Valnet. Niaouli addresses urinary infections, while lemon oil activates white corpuscles.

A friend of the author suffered from thrush following antibiotic treatment for trichomonas. Taking three drops of niaouli and three drops of lemon oil morning and night cleared the thrush completely within two weeks with no recurrence a year later.

Take three drops of niaouli oil and three drops of organically grown lemon oil in the morning and at night.
Alternatively, use a vaginal douche with rose, lavender, and bergamot oils diluted in 1 litre of warm water.

Clary sage provides almost instant relief from menstrual cramps and backache while acting as a hormone regulator and euphoric mood lifter. Clary sage can be taken internally or used externally through massage and compresses. Because it regulates hormones, regular use can make monthly periods completely painless over time.

The author suffered badly from abdominal cramps and backache as a teenager using only codeine tablets and hot water bottles, but found complete relief using clary sage.

Take two drops of clary sage oil in a teaspoon of honey with a little hot water at the beginning of the period.
Mix a teaspoon of fatty oil with two drops of clary sage oil and massage the lower abdomen and lower back.
Make a hot fomentation by adding a few drops of clary sage to a bowl of hot water of about 1 litre, immerse a small towel, wring it out, and apply to the lower abdomen for 15 minutes.

Gynaecological Care

The Honey Cap is a natural, unobtrusive diaphragm alternative that uses honey as its sole antibacterial protection. It provides a natural contraceptive method for women sensitive to chemical spermicides, offering long wear time and freedom during use.

Place the cap in a pot of honey when not in use.
Rinse the Honey Cap in lukewarm water before insertion.
Leave the cap in place for up to seven days at a stretch.

Certain essential oils stimulate sensory receptors in the brain linked to emotions, acting as aphrodisiacs or anaphrodisiacs depending on the oil chosen. Oils such as ylang-ylang, jasmine, sandalwood, patchouli, rose, and clary sage excite the senses, whereas marjoram acts as a sedative that diminishes sexual desire.

Place one or two teaspoonfuls of green or black tea leaves into a teapot.
Put one drop of jasmine oil into the pot and add 3-4 cups of hot water.
Serve immediately.

Plant phyto-hormones found in specific essential oils can influence breast tissue size, firmness, and muscle tone over time. Geranium oil is rich in phyto-hormones and can increase bust size and muscle tone when massaged into the chest wall. Conversely, jojoba and rose oil help emulsify fat deposits and keep breasts small and firm.

A friend of the author who experienced breast shrinkage to 32 inches after breastfeeding increased her bust measurement to 36 inches and improved muscle tone by regularly massaging a blend of ylang-ylang and geranium in a sweet almond oil base.

Blend ylang-ylang with geranium in a sweet almond oil base.
Rub the oil blend in night and morning.
Massage the muscles of the chest wall directly above the breasts for a few minutes.

Massage Techniques

Massage stimulates circulation and the immune system while relieving muscle tension, provided proper physical positioning and movement directions are followed.

The practitioner must use body weight instead of arm strength, keep hands warm, and always stroke limbs upward toward the heart to aid lymphatic drainage and prevent worsening conditions like cellulite. Strict environmental and personal preparations are necessary before conducting a massage to ensure you can fully relax the recipient. External distractions must be removed, the room must be warm, and your hands must be free of hard items that could cause discomfort.

Remove your watch and any rings.
Ensure nails are short enough to massage with the pad of the thumb without the nail digging in.
Ensure your hands are warm.
Take the phone off the hook or use an answering machine.
Dim the lighting.
Turn off the radio or television.
Gather all required items including massage oil, tissues, and large towels beforehand.
Ensure the room is warm enough.
Position yourself to the right or left of the recipient comfortably.
Immerse cool hands in warm water for five minutes before beginning.
Pour oil into the palm of the hand and rub hands together to disperse evenly.
Place flat palms with fingers pointing towards the head at hip level, and slide smoothly up the spine to the nape of the neck using effleurage.
Draw hands away sideways across the shoulders and glide down the sides, repeating for at least 10 minutes.
Position thumbs on either side of the spine and work up using the pads of the thumbs in circular motions on sore spots.
Complete the massage with another 5-10 minutes of effleurage.
Cover the back with kitchen towelling to remove excess oil, then cover with a large bath towel and leave the recipient prone for at least five minutes.

4. Health, Healing, and Immunity

Natural plant extracts combat common infections and strengthen the body without the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.

Treating Common Illnesses

Essential oils can effectively fight off cold and flu viruses when applied early through targeted massage, inhalation, and baths, avoiding the need for conventional medications that weaken immunity. You can cure heavy cold symptoms in three days using lavender, sandalwood, lemon, and myrtle oils.

The author's mother in her eighties used lavender oil under her jaw, neck, shoulders, and chest to quickly relieve a bad cold and associated shoulder pain within two days.

You can apply these treatments with clear steps:

Rub lavender oil into the neck, base of the skull, and sinuses
Massage sandalwood under the jawbone near the lymph nodes
Take three drops of lemon oil internally on a little brown sugar
Put a drop of myrtle oil on a tissue and inhale vapours across the nose and mouth overnight

Clove oil serves as an efficient natural alternative to antibiotics for treating tooth abscesses by providing local anaesthetic relief and shrinking the infection over several weeks. The author developed an abscess at the base of her eye tooth in 1989 and successfully applied clove oil 2 to 3 times a day for almost three weeks until the abscess shrunk and the gum returned to normal.

Severe fungal infections like athlete's foot can be effectively treated with natural antimicrobials such as a weak garlic oil solution combined with footbaths, avoiding adverse reactions from harsh medical creams. The author treated her 14-year-old son's advanced athlete's foot by using lavender footbaths, trimming dead skin with sterilized tools, and applying garlic-soaked lint between infected toes secured with micropore tape and cotton.

Immune Support

Relying on prescription tranquillizers for stress or depression creates long-term drug dependency that damages the immune system, whereas essential oils provide temporary emotional support without creating addiction. A woman in her thirties who took Ativan tablets three times a day for three and a half years following grief and depression successfully came off the drugs within two months by substituting a lavender bath, inhaling lavender on her pillow, and using clary sage, ylang-ylang, and jasmine blend.

The immune system is easily compromised by modern lifestyle factors such as antibiotics, sugar, computer radiation, and stress, but can be effectively strengthened through massage, positive thinking, and essential oils. The author experienced facial heat and sore lymph nodes under her jaw and breastbone while writing a book in front of a computer, which she successfully mitigated by massaging jojoba and lavender into her face and chest.

5. Skin Care, Pregnancy, and Childbirth

Nightly facial massage with aromatherapy oils accelerates skin cell renewal, mimicking youthful skin and counteracting dullness caused by dead skin accumulation.

Essential oils penetrate through the skin barrier to the dermis, traveling via interstitial fluid, the bloodstream, and the lymphatic system. A nightly facial massage oil applied with gentle upward strokes before bed helps clear dead skin cells and restores the reflection of light that creates a youthful bloom.

Cleanse the skin thoroughly at night using a floral water and a small amount of jojoba oil to remove makeup and mascara.
Apply an aromatherapy facial massage oil consisting of 98 per cent base oil to 2 per cent essential oil.
Gently massage into the face and neck using light, upward strokes and leave it to work overnight.

Ensure you are using true essential oils from a reputable company rather than synthetic perfumes. Never use neat essential oils on the face, with the exception of dabbing spots with lavender or tea tree. Dilute essential oils in a vegetable or nut carrier oil, adding 10 per cent wheatgerm oil if keeping the blend for more than a week.

Jojoba functions as a liquid wax, contains traces of iodine and proteins, emulsifies fat, and tones tissues. Because of its emollient properties, it serves as a sustainable substitute for spermaceti, protecting whales from being hunted to extinction.

Use a small amount of jojoba on cotton wool to remove stubborn mascara without putting strain on delicate eye tissues.
Massage jojoba into the scalp two or three times a week to treat dandruff.
Use 10 per cent jojoba in base oil to condition long hair.

Head lice have become resistant to many chemical preparations and can survive more than 10 hours under water or clinging to a single hair strand. Essential oil mixtures kill lice within 2 hours while leaving hair healthy and lustrous.

Make up the specific lice recipe and carefully apply the mixture to the hair roots and scalp, stroking it through the rest of the hair.
Pile the hair on top of your head.
Wrap a long sheet of clingfilm securely around your head, going over the ears and tucking the plastic behind your ears to trap all hair inside.

Pregnancy and Labour

Aromatic baths during pregnancy boost morale, protect against illness, and provide safe relief from physical discomforts.

Pregnancy creates extra antibodies, and maintaining an aromatic lifestyle helps prevent common illnesses. Lavender is exceptionally safe and versatile, stimulating white blood cells and acting as a medicine chest in a bottle.

The author used peppermint baths to maintain her sanity while heavily pregnant during the heatwave of 1976.

Take an aromatic bath using essential oils of personal preference, such as lavender, clary sage, or geranium.
Add 2 to 4 drops of peppermint oil to a bath of tepid water and mix well for summer cooling.

Morning sickness and nausea can be remedied effectively with peppermint oil taken on brown sugar or in honey water, avoiding chemical risks. For heartburn during late pregnancy, bitter-tasting essential oils such as sandalwood provide lasting relief.

During her third pregnancy, the author took neat sandalwood oil based on an ancient text recommendation, which successfully relieved her heartburn and allowed her to sleep all night.

Take one drop of peppermint oil on brown sugar or in honey water for morning sickness, repeating every hour until relief is obtained.
Apply a lavender compress to the abdomen for severe vomiting by soaking a small towel in warm water with two drops of lavender, covering with a larger towel, and resting for 30 minutes.
Take one drop of neat sandalwood oil for pregnancy heartburn.

Lower back massage and clary sage compresses provide powerful, drug-free pain relief during contractions and cervical dilation.

The author experienced a 27-hour natural labour with her first child, relying on back massage and a hand-hot clary sage compress on her lower abdomen to manage the pain before a 5 minutes pushing stage.

Practice lower back massage during the last month of pregnancy to find comfortable positions and instruct a partner.
Apply a hand-hot clary sage compress to the lower abdomen just above the pubic hair during labour when experiencing cervical dilation pain.
Replace the compress with a fresh one as it cools down while lying down.

Post-natal depression often arrives around day three or four when milk comes in, plunging you into misery due to hormone adjustments. Inhaling jasmine or using it in a bath and on a pillow can trigger a rapid recovery from these intense psychological lows.

When suffering from intense post-natal depression after her delivery, the author was given a bath with jasmine oil by her husband and slept with a drop of jasmine on her pillow, waking up completely free of depression.

Run a warm bath and add a few drops of jasmine oil.
Place a drop of jasmine oil on the edge of your pillow before going to sleep.

10 Key Ideas

Clary sage acts as an emotional elevator that uplifts mood, regulates hormones, and provides fast relief from menstrual cramps and backache.
Basil oil serves as a powerful mental stimulant that clears the mind and revives alertness better than coffee without straining the kidneys.
The lavender tube method safely traps and directs sedative vapors to help children fall asleep without skin contact.
Essential oils and natural remedies successfully manage childhood illnesses and acute infections without routinely resorting to antibiotics or painkillers.
A blend of organically grown lemon oil and niaouli oil effectively treats fungal infections like thrush by addressing urinary issues and activating white corpuscles.
The practitioner must use body weight instead of arm strength, keep hands warm, and always stroke limbs upward toward the heart during massage.
Severe fungal infections like athlete's foot can be effectively treated with natural antimicrobials such as a weak garlic oil solution combined with footbaths.
Nightly facial massage with aromatherapy oils and 98 percent base oil penetrates the skin barrier to clear dead skin cells and accelerate cell renewal.
Pregnancy creates extra antibodies, and maintaining an aromatic lifestyle with lavender and peppermint boosts morale, protects against illness, and cools the body.
Lower back massage and hand-hot clary sage compresses applied to the lower abdomen provide powerful, drug-free pain relief during contractions and cervical dilation.

Book summary “Aromatherapy for women”: summary

Summary text