Welcome to our aug/sept issue of Aroma Borealis Herbal Thymes. The shop has been bustling all summer with lots of interesting people and projects.
Linda Anderson and Lillian Strauss have been leading the Weed Walk Wednesdays, a wonderful, informal medicinal herb stroll up Main Street to the clay cliffs. The walks will be ending the last week of August, so If you haven’t made it, there is still time. The wildflowers were incredible this summer!
We would like to welcome Lise Gagnon to the Aroma Borealis team, Lise is learning all areas of our business, she brings a great energy and spirit to her work here.
I would also like to welcome back Ruthie Bicudo. Ruthie was Aroma Borealis’ first employee. She is back home for awhile and is helping us out. Ruthie is working with quartz crystal healing bowls, she will be giving monthly concerts on the full moon and offering healing sessions with sound, essential oils and colour. 
Locally, we have launched a new aromatherapy lotion line, some of the lotions are single oils like blood orange, jasmine, neroli and patchouli and blends include Full Circle Citrus and Relaxing Blend. These all smell so amazing, they are made with pure essential oils.
Nationally, I’m still writing a monthly aromatherapy profile in Canada’s Alive magazine, look for the nice spread every month, you can pick up a free copy at Aroma Borealis or other health stores in the Yukon, I have also been writing for Canada’s Healthy Living Guide.
We are preparing to show our products at the Canadian Health Food Association annual Expo East in Toronto. Our booth at Expo West in Vancouver last April was a huge success, I hope we have as much great feedback in Ontario. I will also be part of a day long seminar for health food store owners in Toronto, I have been given a half hour to talk about the use of essential oils in natural health products. It should be interesting!

To view this newsletter with images and additional info, download a PDF here.

HERBAL TEAS
A nice, warm cup of  Aroma Borealis tea can help to warm you up on a crisp autumn morning...

Hip Tea
It’s hip to drink herbal tea! Yukon wild harvested rosehips & cranberries, hibiscus, apple and chamomile come together to create a fruity, tart and high in vitamin C herbal tea.
Spirit of Borealis Tea
The boreal forest’s majestic spirit reflects itself through its beautiful botanicals, which are an inspiration for this magical herbal infusion. Labrador tea, sweet grass, horsetail, bedstraw, peppermint, stinging nettle, rosehips and stevia come together to create a spirited and tasty northern Canadian herbal tea.
Flower Power Peace Tea
All we are saying is give peace a chance! Elder flowers, fireweed flowers, rose petals, chamomile flowers, spearmint, fennel seeds, red clover, lemon balm and stevia come together to create a tasty herbal tea blend.
Arctic Wildflower Tea
Tip toe through the northern flowers with a cuppa warm wildflower tea! Elder flowers, spearmint, lavender, rose, fireweed & stevia come together to create a colourful, aromatic beverage that tastes delightful and lifts the spirits like a field of flowers.
Homesteader’s Blend
This tea unites plants that have long been growing around old homesteads. Stinging nettle, peppermint, chickweed, plantain, rosehips & fireweed all help to create a comforting and timeless blend.
Northern Lights Tea
The Aurora Borealis dance around the dark northern skies beaming a mystical light of colourful rays that warm the soul of the earth… peppermint, spearmint, juniper berries, birch leaves & fireweed come together to create a tasty and refreshing drink. Perfect as an after dinner sipper.

Bev Gray is a registered aromatherapist, herbalist and the owner of Aroma Borealis.


THE HISTORY OF LAVENDER
by Regina Wright

Lavender has been prized for its remarkable healing properties and unparalleled versatility, both as a remedy for physical and psychological disorders as well as a classic ingredient in fine perfumes and cosmetics.  Native to Persia and the sun-drenched slopes of Mediterranean mountainsides, lavender was brought to the rest of Europe by the conquering Romans. Lavender has been associated with cleanliness ever since Romans added it to their washing water.  In fact, the word comes from the Latin word lavare (“to wash”). Lavender is a plant rich in history and myth.  With its roots in ancient herbalism, lavender’s properties as a disfectant and antiseptic were founded. The knowledge of its healing properties grew through the centuries, even gaining the reputation of warding off the plague. Lavender was the perfume of choice for English ladies of the Elizabethan and Stuart ages.  During the Victorian era lavender was recognized as a tonic for nerves. 
Lavender is ideal for physical and emotional support.  It is nicknamed ‘first aid in a bottle’.  Lavender is among the safest and most widely used essential oils in aromatherapy.  When in doubt, use lavender!
Regina Wright is an aromatherapist and wholistic health practitioner & teacher who manages the Aromatherapy Section and the Alchemists Kitchen at Aroma Borealis.


FALL FEATURE PRODUCT

Three Tree Hand & Foot Balm
Stop the cracking! Keep your hands and feet soft and supple with the healing power of boreal forest trees! Made with wild spruce white (Picea glauca), wild spruce black (Picea mariana), wild pine white (Pinus strobus),wild fir (Abies balsamea), organic olive oil (Olea europaea) & vitamin E.

*Aroma Borealis Herbal Thymes does not prescribe nor wish to take the place of a licenced medical practitioner.