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Black Spruce Essential Oil Benefits and Uses in Aromatherapy

Black spruce essential oil benefits include releasing stuck energy, according to The Heart of Aromatherapy. This means black spruce (Picea mariana) is a good oil to use when you feel sluggish and want to feel healthier and more vibrant.

Aromatherapy supplies and black spruce needled with the words A Guide To Black Spruce Essential Oil and Its Benefits and Uses.

Basic Black Spruce Facts

Black spruce is one of many spruce essential oils. Others include Norway spruce (Picea abies), white spruce (Picea glauca), red spruce (Picea rubens), blue spruce (Picea pungens), and hemlock spruce (Tsuga canadensis).

Plant family: Pinaceae.

Production: Steam distilled from twigs and needles of the black spruce tree.

Aroma: Fresh, earthy, woody.

Perfume/Aromatic note: Top.

Is black spruce safe to use during pregnancy? Conflicting information available. Consult a professional.

Is black spruce essential oil safe for children? Yes, but do not use on babies under the age of six months.

Cautions: Skin sensitization can occur if the essential oil becomes oxidized.

Main components:

bornyl acetate 36.8%
beta-Pinene 14.2%
alpha-Pinene 13.7%
camphene 8.1%
(+)-limonene 5.2%

Source: Essential Oil Safety, 2nd Ed.

Black Spruce Essential Oil Benefits

Physically, black spruce essential oil restores hypotonic/weak conditions and decongests congestive/damp conditions, according to Aromatica: A Clinical Guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics, Volume I.

While Aromatic Studies lists the oil's top affinities as the respiratory system and immune system, Aromatica notes the oil also affects the musculoskeletal, neuroendocrine, reproductive, and digestive systems.

Respiratory benefits: clears mucous and congestion, offers general respiratory support, and helps relieve colds, moist coughs, spasmodic coughs, and bronchitis.
Immune benefits: helps relieve immune deficiency and general weakness.
Musculoskeletal benefits: relieves sore muscles and muscle spasms, calms inflammation, and helps relieve arthritis, gout, stiff joints, and muscle strain.
Neuroendocrine benefits: helps relieve adrenal gland insufficiency. The oil seems to have a broad regulating effect on virtually all endocrine glands, proving useful for a wide range of weak conditions, according to Aromatica.
Reproductive benefits: helps relieve menstrual disorders.

Additional Sources:

Mental and Emotional Benefits of Black Spruce

Psychologically, black spruce promotes willpower, courage, endurance, motivation, and self-confidence, according to Aromatica. The oil helps relieve mental fatigue or burnout, apathy, depression, discouragement, low motivation, low self-confidence, and low stamina.

Black spruce is grounding, supports emotional restoration (useful for grief, burnout, or fatigue), and helps protect energetic boundaries, according to Aromahead.

Black Spruce Spiritual Benefits

The clearing, cleansing, rejuvenating properties of black spruce support intuition and encourage new insights, according to Aromatherapy and Subtle Energy Techniques. The oil is especially useful to support the sixth chakra and development of intuition.

Spruce brings in positive energy, uplifts, refreshes, and rejuvenates, according to Aromatherapy Anointing Oils. The oil teaches how to walk a spiritual path while remaining practical, helping you think clearly, make wise choices, and effectively use your intuition. This essential oil also helps renew and rejuvenate body, mind, heart, and spirit, so you can be fully present to embody the gifts of spiritual practice in practical ways.

"Spruce encourages a broadening and opening to a sense of spaciousness within, a way of seeing your journey through life and a brand new way," states The Blossoming Heart. "Spruce adds a depth of insight previously unknown and has the capacity to shift you from feelings of defeat to feeling refreshed and motivated."

Black Spruce Essential Oil Benefits in TCM

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the essential function of black spruce is to tonify the Qi and Yang and strengthen the Shen, according to Aromatica.

Movement: stabilizing, rising.
Warmth: neutral to warm.
Meridian tropism: Lung, Kidney, and Du, Chong, Ren (the three main extraordinary vessels).
Five-element affinity: Water, Metal.

Black Spruce Essential Oil Uses and Blends

For chronic menstrual cramps, PMS, and menopausal symptoms, Aromatica suggests blending black spruce with either niaouli or vetiver essential oil or with a combination of clary sage and geranium essential oils.

For sore muscles and stiff joints, make a massage oil with 6 drops black spruce oil in 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) massage oil or lotion.

To make a holiday diffuser blend, use 3 drops black spruce and 3 drops clove essential oil in an aromatherapy diffuser.

For an adrenal tonic, use black spruce in the shower, especially on the lower back, according to The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils.

Congestion Relief Blend

Make a stock blend in a 5-milliliter bottle:

25 drops black spruce essential oil
25 drops Eucalyptus radiata essential oil
12 drops frankincense essential oil

Ways to use:

Make a personal inhaler by adding 25 drops of the blend to a blank inhaler.
Use in a diffuser, according to its instructions.
Use a steam inhalation made by adding 3 to 5 drops of the blend to a bowl of hot water.

Adapted from Aromatic Studies

Wintertime Steam Diffusion Blend

For a warm, steamy aromatic mist that's useful for dealing with colds, flu, and respiratory issues:

5 drops black spruce essential oil
5 drops balsam fir essential oil
5 drops grapefruit essential oil
Water in small pan

Heat some water to a low simmer. Then turn off the heat.
Add the oils and let them diffuse with the steam from the heated water.

Source: Essential Living

For respiratory conditions, Aromatica suggests blending black spruce with scotch pine essential oil.

Fall/Winter Shower Spritzer Blend

Spray the following liberally onto the shower floor and into the corners before turning on the water.

5 drops black spruce essential oil
5 drops fir (Abies alba) essential oil
5 drops juniper berry essential oil
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
2 tablespoons Eucalyptus radiata hydrosol
2 tablespoons distilled or purified water

In a 2-ounce glass spray bottle, mix the essential oils with the glycerin. Shake well.
Add the hydrosol and water. Shake to mix. Shake before each use.

Source: Shanti Dechen CCAP, CAI, LMT. "Autumn is Here: The Metal Element." NAHA Aromatherapy Journal, Autumn 2016.3, p. 19.

Spruce Bath Salts

Combine the following ingredients.

4 drops black spruce essential oil
1 drop spearmint essential oil
2 drops pine essential oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil
1/2 cup Epsom salt

Add the salts to a bath and soak for 15–30 minutes.

Source: Eden's Garden

Adrenal Support Blend

Use the following blend as a body oil/lotion after your morning shower:

100 drops black spruce essential oil
40 drops atlas cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) essential oil
20 drops peppermint essential oil
1/2 cup carrier oil or unscented lotion

Blend the ingredients in a dark glass container and store away from heat and moisture.

Source: Advanced Aromatherapy: The Science of Essential Oil Therapy

Carol Wiley is a retired massage therapist and freelance writer. She uses her deep interest in aromatherapy and essential oils to research their benefits and uses and bring you summaries and blends with links to more resources.

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