White Fir Essential Oil
There are a lot of great essential oils out there, some of them having dozens of health benefits and unique properties that make them almost indispensable. While white fir essential oil probably cannot be considered indispensable, there are a couple of unique properties that you should be aware of when deciding whether or not you’re going to add this essential oil to your own collection. Many people love white fir essential oil because the aroma reminds them of the holidays and indeed, it is used throughout the Christmas season to create a beautiful, flavorful Christmas environment in the home. But there are also some health benefits that you should be aware of too.
How is White Fir Essential Oil Manufactured?
You may be wondering about the white fir essential oil manufacturing process. The needles of the white fir tree are used to create the essential oil. Abies balsamea is generally the species that is used and the reason that the needles are the part of the tree that is used to create essential oils is that all of the active ingredients and powerhouse compounds are located there. Like other essential oils that are based upon a plant or tree, the process by which essential oil is extracted is steam distillation.
Types of White Fir Essential Oil
There are more than 40 different species of fir trees that are found throughout the world, many throughout North America. All fir trees produce needles and have a skeletal wood structure that is odorless and easy to chop down. White fir essential oil is made from some of the species of fir, with the aforementioned Abies balsamea species the one most commonly used to create white fir oils.
How to Use White Fir Essential Oil
There are lots of ways that you can use white fir essential oil. If you’re using it for the aromatherapy, then you obviously are going for fragrance and you want to diffuse it or add it to bathwater or other surfaces that you will be able to use to create a Christmas atmosphere. Some people add it to a carrier oil like olive oil and use it as a furniture polish which not only works great for the furniture, it also makes the house smell great. You can also apply white for oil topically or ingest it in tiny amounts.
Composition of White Fir Essential Oil
- Tricyclene
- a-pinene
- borneol
- limonene
- acetate
- myrcene
Aromatic Description of White Fir Essential Oil
As previously mentioned here, many people prefer to use white fir essential oil not necessarily for the health benefits, which are actually pretty common among essential oils, but because it has such a strong Christmasey fragrance. Some people like to combine essential oils like balsam fir, spruce and of course white fir, in order to create an aromatic environment that reminds them of Christmas. In fact, these essential oils are often marketed as Christmas oils. The aromatic profile of these oils is sweet and very pleasing to the nose.
Precautions & Side Effects of White Fir Essential Oil
When it comes to essential oils you need to be careful about how you use them because they are very concentrated. In the case of white fir essential oil, it is fairly safe but you should avoid ingesting it altogether unless you are extremely experienced with essential oils or are under the direction of someone who is – or a health care provider. With all essential oils, keep away from cats because most are toxic to felines, and avoid using them if you are pregnant or nursing. Also never give essential oils to children. Finally, in the case of white fir essential oil in particular, test a very small patch of skin before you use it topically and dilute it beforehand because it can cause an allergic reaction.
Attributes of White Fir Essential Oil
| Attribute | X | Definition |
| analgesic | X | Reduces pain in muscles and joints |
| anti-arthritic | Reduces arthritis symptoms | |
| anti-infectious | Prevents infection | |
| anti-inflammatory | X | Reduces inflammation |
| antibiotic | Keeps biotic infections from developing | |
| antidepressant | Helps to alleviate depression | |
| antiemetic | Prevents nausea and vomiting | |
| anti-galactogogue | Reduces milk supply in the body | |
| antifungal | Kills harmful fungal life forms | |
| antimicrobial | X | Kills microbial life forms that cause disease |
| anti-neuralgic | Counteracts nerve pain | |
| anti-rheumatic | Counteracts pain from rheumatism | |
| antiseborrhoeic | Keeps the body from making an unhealthy amount of sebum | |
| antiseptic | X | Prevents growth of organisms which cause disease |
| antispasmodic | Prevents spasms from occurring | |
| antiviral | Kills viral agents | |
| aperient | Relieves constipation | |
| aphrodisiac | Increases sexual desires | |
| astringent | Causes skin tissue to contract – to counter lines and wrinkles | |
| bactericidal | Kills bacterial agents | |
| carminative | Prevents formation of gas in the GI tract | |
| cholagogue | Assists with the discharge of bile | |
| cicatrisant | Assists in the formation of healthy scar tissue | |
| circulatory | Promotes healthy circulatory system function | |
| diaphoretic | X | Induces perspiration |
| decongestant | Reduces or eliminates congestions of nasal cavities | |
| deodorant | X | Eliminates and prevents body odor |
| depurative | Helps to detoxify the body | |
| Digestive | Helps with the digestion of food | |
| diuretic | Removes excess water from the body | |
| expectorant | Loosens mucous and helps clear it from the body | |
| emenagogue | Promotes healthy menstrual discharge | |
| febrifuge | Aids in the reduction of fever | |
| hepatic | Promotes healthy liver function | |
| hypotensive | Helps to lower blood pressure | |
| Insecticide | Kills certain types of insects or pests | |
| muscle relaxant | Relaxes tight muscles and prevents muscle spasms | |
| nervine | Reduces anxiety and calms the nerves | |
| sedative | Aids in calming or induces sleepiness | |
| stimulant | Increases physiological or nervous system activity | |
| stomachic | Aids in a healthy appetite or digestion | |
| sudorific | Promotes or aids in activation of sweat glands | |
| tonic | Tones the skin or muscles | |
| vermifuge | Kills parasitic worms | |
| vulnerary | Promotes rapid healing of wounds |
What is White Fir Essential Oil Used For?
White fir essential oil has a lot of different health benefits. Many people use it as a pain reliever for headaches, muscle aches and more. Not only can reduce inflammation and help to treat pain that way, it can also promote healthy blood flow and get rid of toxins that can help you heal faster as well. In fact, many of the components that make up white fir essential oil help with removing toxins from the body and using it will ensure that your body is regularly cleaned of some of the unhealthy substances that live inside of you, causing illness and disease. It stimulates the sweat glands as well, which also helps to remove toxins.
White fir essential oil is also an antiseptic and essential oils are one of the most effective and most common treatments for preventing infection that have been used throughout the centuries. Not only does this essential oil kill bacteria and other harmful things, but it actually boosts the immune system to give you even more protection. Essential oils from firs are very good with infectious disease. However, white fir also helps to promote healthy respiratory function and this is one of the best reasons that you should use white fir essential oil as an inhalant. White fir has even been shown to help with respiratory problems by using an aromatherapy and it can reduce inflammation in the bronchial tubes and treat conditions like COPD.
One of the final two uses for this essential oil boost the metabolism. Fir needle essential oil is very good with this particular function because it stimulates the body in several different ways. That means that the digestive system speeds up, the circulatory system is increases in the heart rate goes up among others, and it can promote a healthy lifestyle. Finally, wafer essential oil is an effective deodorant. It has a wonderful fragrance are ready but it can also eliminate the bacteria that causes body odor and mask it effectively.
Recommended Combinations Involving White Fir Essential Oil
- Frankincense
- Lavender
- Arborvitae
- Cypress
- Wintergreen
- Spruce
- Other Fir Oils
The Final Word on White Fir Essential Oil
To be honest, the health benefits of this essential oil are not really that great. There aren’t very many of them and the ones that are there are also available in many other essential oils. But the strength of this essential oil comes in the aromatic profile. Because of how marvelous a scent this is, it can be an extremely pleasing fragrance to have around the house, especially at Christmas time. If you enjoy the smells of Christmas and think you would enjoy aromatherapy with those sort of fragrances, you should add white fir essential oil to your collection of oils.
