The original use for fragrance is anyone’s guess. Some archaeologists contend that aromatic oils were first concocted for medicinal purposes. Others say religious rituals. I say a caveman wanted to spruce up for a hot date with a cavewoman, and, unaware of the virtues of bathing, masked the smell of mastodon sweat and saber-toothed tiger breath by tucking heliotropes underneath his arms.
We are certain that essential oils themselves originated in ancient Egypt at least 5,000 years ago. The surviving distillation pots prove it. The Indians later used sandalwood oil as a healing salve. Hippocrates advised chamomile as a mild relaxant. Victorian brides commonly wove whole neroli flowers in their veils – not simply because they are white and pretty, but because they calmed their nerves. Really, at no point throughout history have a people failed to recognize the myriad beneficial effects of essential oils.
Let Texas and Saudi Arabia have their crude oil. Eden Prairie is one of the world capitals of essential oil, because we are home to rareESSENCE Aromatherapy. The family business supplies high quality essential oils to more than 8,000 stores across the world, including Eden Prairie’s own Kowalski’s Market. If you have ever gone to Massage Envy, then you have already tried rareESSENCE’s oils.
rareESSENCE was founded by husband and wife Brian Paulsen and Sherri Jobelius. Sherri was the spark. While working at Tao Traditional Organic Foods in the early ‘70s she became passionate about natural products – particularly herbs and their essential oils. Sherri began wearing oils of her own creation, thus becoming the physical embodiment of flower power.
Brian Paulsen met this lavender lady in the ‘90s. Sherri had then wanted to produce a line of greeting cards with macro photographs of plant bits, each with a little vial of the essential oil for which those bits were accountable. Brian, a photographer, turned out to be Sherri’s match as more than just a business partner. The couple hit the road together to sell their greeting cards, only to discover very few people who already understood the benefits of essential oils and
aromatherapy.
“When we first started out, aromatherapy was perceived as a fringe thing,” said Brian. “We would never claim essential oils cure anything, or that they’re a replacement for medicine. But people have sipped chamomile tea to relax for hundreds of years, and clove oil used to be sold over the counters at drug stores for relief from toothaches.
“General practitioners have noted the benefits of essential oils over the years as well. Hospitals are currently using them for complementary care, such as ginger and peppermint to help reduce a patient’s nausea prior to surgery. Aspirin itself originated from the bark of the willow tree, and tea tree oil has long been valued for its potent antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
“Each type of plant has unique properties. At heart aromatherapy revolves around recognizing the beneficial ones. Peppermint oil contains a high percentage of menthol, which is widely recognized for its ability to relieve pain. Frankincense is also a natural pain reliever, and very soothing to the skin at that. Lavender offers relaxation and stress relief. Rosemary, bergamot and lemon all have uplifting effects. Mandarin oil is especially well-suited for children, who may experience an energizing yet calming effect from it.”
“Many of our essential oil blends are modeled after traditional medicines,” said Sherri. “Our Defense Blend, which has clove, lemon and cinnamon, is strongly influenced by the ‘thieves blend’ used by doctors during the Black Plague. It’s nothing for treating our current pandemic, of course, but alongside a healthy lifestyle it can promote a greater sense of well-being.
“The scents themselves are intriguing. The more you look into them, the more you discover about what gives plants their essences. Part of these oils’ purpose is to produce a scent, but they also make up a plant’s natural defenses against its environment.
“Most things that people associate with nice smells, like scented candles, dryer sheets, and even 99.9 percent of perfumes, are synthetically designed – manufactured from petrochemicals in factories running alongside the New Jersey Turnpike. These synthetic fragrances may have several potential negative effects on health, or, at the very least, there is nothing positive about them.”
“Getting our ingredients is what I love best about what we do,” said Brian. “We source each oil from the part of the world with the best natural conditions for its plant of origin to grow in. We most recently visited France to visit with organic lavender, chamomile, and peppermint farmers, and to contract to purchase their essential oils directly. We do the same in Australia with sandalwood, tea tree and eucalyptus farmers.
“We timed our trip to Bulgaria's Rose Valley to coincide with the three week harvest period. Roses are fragile. If they don’t get to a distiller within 24 hours of harvest they start to go bad, and Sherri and I wanted to make absolutely certain our oils were produced in the right window. That was extra commitment to the quality of our products, and a good excuse to fly to Europe as well.
“We have enjoyed an even greater opportunity to grow with the legalization of CBD oil. It was a natural fit for rareESSENCE, because we were positioned to create a simple, clean, and effective product just like we had with all of our existing oils.
“CBD is ‘generally recognized as safe’ by the FDA, a designation it shares with other natural ingredients including basil, lavender, and carrot. Our own line of rareCBD oils combines high quality hemp extract with unique blends of essential oils to heighten the efficacy of CBD even further. Our rareCBD oils employ a delicate yet deliberate interplay of terpenes and fatty acids to offer a wide range of health benefits.”
rareESSENCE essential oils are available as ‘single notes.’ A solitary oil may have plenty to offer on its own, although a DIYer can have all sorts of fun creating their own blends for precisely the combination of benefits they seek. Our resident natural apothecaries also create nasal inhalers, hand sanitizers, passive diffuser oils, ultrasonic diffuser oils, candles, and even perfumes. Each one is crafted from the finest stuff that springs from the earth, right here in the best place on earth. (Eat your heart out, Pompton Plains, New Jersey!)
To see everything rareESSENCE Aromatherapy has to offer and order online, you need only visit rareessencearomatherapy.com. But wouldn’t you really rather get your essential oils from Kowalski’s, which graciously supports fine local magazines?