Ancient Apothecary Ancient Fortress Essential Oil
For topical, aromatherapy or dietary purposes.
Dr. Axe says, “In Ancient Fortress, you’ll find that we’ve blended some essential oils that have traditionally been used to support a healthy immune system†: clove, orange, ginger, thyme and cinnamon. These oils are also cleansing and smell amazing! Ancient Fortress is a must-have oil for sure.”
Clove
Indigenous to Indonesia and Madagascar, clove can be found in nature as the unopened pink flower buds of the tropical evergreen tree. Picked by hand in late summer and again in winter, the buds are dried until they turn brown. The buds are then left whole, ground into a spice or are steam-distilled to produce clove essential oil. The main beneficial component of clove oil is eugenol, which is also responsible for clove oil’s distinct fragrance.
History records that clove has been used for more than 2,000 years as a fragrance and a spice. In fact, cloves were brought to the Han dynasty of China from Indonesia as early as 200 B.C., while ancient Persians reportedly used clove oil as a love potion. Clove cultivation occurred nearly exclusively in Indonesia until the late 1700s when cloves were smuggled from the East Indies to the Indian Ocean Island and to the New World.
In traditional Ayurveda, clove oil has been used for oral health, digestive health and respiratory health support.† In Traditional Chinese herbalism, clove is noted for its healthy fungal-balancing and microbial-balancing attributes.†
Orange
Orange oil comes from the fruit of the orange plant. Sometimes also called “sweet orange oil,” it’s derived from the outer peel of the common orange fruit, which has been highly sought after for centuries because of its healthy immune system-supporting benefits.†
Orange essential oil is extracted from the peels of oranges via cold compression, and although many people are familiar with the common term orange.
Orange oil has been a popular oil used for health purposes throughout the Mediterranean, India and China for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Some of its beneficial components include alpha pinene, citronellal, geranial, sabinene, myrcene, limonene, linalool and neral. And while that’s a lot of scientific names, the bottom line is that orange essential oil, due to its properties, can provide overall support for health.†
Generally, the most known components of orange essential oil are limonene (which is about 85–96 percent of the extract) and myrcene (0.5–3 percent). Overall, limonene features antioxidant properties and can help support healthy cellular function as well as a healthy response to inflammation.†
Ginger
The Chinese and Indians have used ginger for health purposes for over 4,700 years, and it was a priceless commodity during the Roman Empire trade over 2,000 years ago due to its health benefits. Over time, ginger was spread across Asia, Africa, Europe and India because of the spice trading business.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the value of a pound of ginger was equivalent to the cost of a sheep! From 1585 on, Jamaican ginger was the first oriental spice to be grown in the New World and imported back to Europe. Today, India is the largest producer of ginger, followed by China, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand and Indonesia.
Ginger is a flowering plant; its root is widely used as a spice, and it has been used traditionally for thousands of years. Ginger is part of the plant family that includes turmeric and cardamom, and all are regarded for their health and wellness benefits. Ginger has a sweet, spicy, woody and warm scent, and ginger essential oil is a warming essential oil
Ginger essential oil is believed to be the most potent form of ginger because it has the highest levels of gingerol. In fact, of the 115 different chemical components found in ginger root, the health benefits are believed to come from gingerols, the oily resin from the root that has antioxidant properties and helps support a healthy response to inflammation.† Ginger essential oil is also made up of approximately 90 percent sesquiterpenes, which help to support healthy microbial balance as well as a healthy response to inflammation.†
Known as the “oil of empowerment,” ginger essential oil is nothing short of amazing.
Thyme
Thyme oil comes from the perennial herb, a member of the mint family, and it’s native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Due to the herb’s essential oils, it has a number of health benefits which have been historically recognized across the Mediterranean for thousands of years.
For example, thyme oil features antioxidants and can help support a healthy immune system.†
The chief constituents of thyme essential oil typically include alpha-thujone, alpha-pinene, camphene, beta-pinene, para-cymene, alpha-terpinene, linalool, borneol, beta-caryophyllene, thymol and carvacrol. The essential oil has a spicy and warm aroma that’s powerful and penetrating.
Thyme essential oil contains 20 percent to 54 percent thymol, which can function as a healthy microbial balancer† and more.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon bark oil is native to parts of South Asia, today cinnamon plants are grown across different nations throughout Asia and shipped around the world in the form of cinnamon essential oil or cinnamon spice.
Cinnamon is recognized as one of the longest-existing spices in human history, and has been highly valued by ancient Egyptians and has been used traditionally by Chinese and Ayurvedic herbalism in Asia for thousands of years.
There are two primary types of cinnamon oils available on the market: cinnamon bark oil and cinnamon leaf oil. While they have some similarities, they’re different with somewhat separate uses. Cinnamon bark oil is extracted from the outer bark of the cinnamon tree. It’s considered highly potent and has a strong, “perfume-like” smell, almost like taking an intense whiff of ground cinnamon. Cinnamon bark oil is usually more expensive than cinnamon leaf oil.
Cinnamon leaf oil has a “musky and spicy” smell and tends to have a lighter color. While cinnamon leaf oil might appear yellow and murky, cinnamon bark oil has a deeper red-brown color that most people usually associate with cinnamon spice. Both are beneficial, but cinnamon bark oil may be more potent.
The major active components of cinnamon essential oil taken from the bark are cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and linalool. These three make up about 82.5 percent of the oil’s composition. Cinnamon bark essential oil can help support a healthy response to inflammation and more.†
Ancient Apothecary Ancient Fortress Essential Oil Blend
- Supports healthy blood sugar levels already in the normal range†
- Supports healthy microbial balance†
- Features antioxidants
- Supports healthy joint function†
- Supports healthy digestion†
- Supports a healthy immune system†
- Supports healthy microbial balance†
- Supports healthy microbial balance†
- Supports a healthy respiratory system†
Cautions: Possible skin sensitivity. Consult your physician before use, especially if pregnant, nursing, taking medication or if you have a medical condition. Avoid eyes, mucous membranes, and sensitive skin. Keep out of reach of children.
Ancient Fortress uses:
- As a supplement, dilute one drop to 4 ounces of water, or place one drop into an empty supplement capsule, and consume.†
- For a DIY hand cleanser, add a few drops with a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil.
- Add Ancient Fortress with water in a spray bottle for a non-toxic all-purpose surface cleaner.
- To cleanse the air, add a few drops to a diffuser (with water) and enjoy the aroma!
- Make a DIY Ancient Fortress potpourri by selecting your favorite spices and herbs, placing them in a dish and then adding a few drops of Ancient Fortress a satisfying and cleansing scent.
- During the fall and winter seasons, rub a drop of Ancient Fortress on your feet daily.
- Add a drop to your favorite autumn or winter cinnamon spice-flavored smoothie or cinnamon-spice dessert.
- Ancient Fortress is also great when used as a non-toxic cleaner throughout the home—on surfaces and more.