Perils of Eating Overseas

During my recent trip to Bangkok, it has drawn to my attention that the food hygiene of other countries might not be as exacting as those in Singapore, often resulting in stomach discomfort or even food poisoning in extreme cases. Through personal experience, it is not always that ‘street foods’ are more likely to cause stomach discomfort. It is amazing the number of people having stomach discomfort when dining at deluxe restaurants; it is the preparation method that matters. However, as consumers, there are very limited opportunities for us to supervise the entire food preparation process to determine the hygiene of the food we are going to consume.

If we have mild food poisoning, what can we do besides waiting for the doctor to attend to us? Firstly, take charcoal tablets to absorb whatever toxins that are produced by the contaminated food in the stomach. You should take lots of fluids, including fresh fruit juices. For drinking water, lemon essential oil should be added to help ‘purify’ it as lemon oil has strong antiseptic qualities. The following blend may be used to help rehydrate the body from excessive fluid loss from diarrhoea:

Water                                                  1 litre

Sugar                                                   8 teaspoons

Salt                                                      ½ teaspoon

Lemon essential oil                            8 drops

Do not omit the sugar or salt as they help to replenish the body from loss of sodium & glucose. Drink one glass at a time over a period of few hours, depending on the severity of the diarrhoea.

However, in the event of serious food poisoning, medical intervention is absolutely necessary. However, you may try the above method, while waiting for medical assistance. In addition, you may use the following tummy rub formula:

Thyme essential oil                                  5 drops

Lavender essential oil                              5 drops

Ginger essential oil                                  5 drops

Sweet almond oil                                      15 ml

You may substitute sweet almond oil with other carrier oils you prefer, i.e. olive oil, etc. Blend the essential oils into the carrier oil & apply in circular movements around the abdomen. Apply on an half hourly basis until relief is experienced.

Cedric Chow - Aromatherapy Principal Trainer

All about Aromatherapy

Aromatic First Aid

Are oils... just oils?

I visited the Chatuchak Market in Bangkok over the last weekend while on a business trip. Along the way, I came across a shop selling herbal & aromatherapy products. I was drawn to a bottle of pure lemongrass oil. However, upon smelling the oil, I realised it smelt more like Citronella, the poor cousin of Lemongrass.  However, the owner insisted that it is lemongrass & I rested my case. Appearance-wise, both looked similar unless one looked closely at the leaves…. For those who may be interested to see the difference, drop a visit to the Spice Garden in Fort Canning Hill to take a look at some of the fascinating herbs & spices there!

Citral is one of the main chemical components found in lemongrass & citronella, in addition to other components, such as, myrcene, citronellal, nerol, etc. The only difference lies in the proportions as well as other minor chemical constituents found in the relevant essential oils. Due to the similarity in aroma & a difference in price for both plants, a lot of retailers tend to pass off Citronella as Lemongrass in order to reap higher profits! Some might even alter the proportion of the fragrant chemical constituents in citronella to match that of the lemongrass, or even increase the percentage of citral in order to make the oil smells more “lemon-grassy”.

The question now is . . . would altering the proportions of the chemical constituents have any effects on the person who uses it, since citral is found naturally in both plants? The difference lies in its proportion. Mother Nature has a reason why certain oils have certain chemical constituents in varying proportions. In the case of 100% pure citral, it will cause an immediate allergic skin reaction, while in a natural lemongrass or citronella oil, citral does not have that same devastating effect on the skin; the reason being that there are other chemical constituents within the blend that acted as a “buffer” against the harsh citral. However, when one takes away those seemingly unnecessary components, citral will cause an immediate skin reaction! Hence, when one purchases an oil, be it lemongrass or citronella, one should always check it’s botanical name, i.e. Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass) or Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella) to ensure that the correct oil is purchased. Never purchase an essential oil which only states its generic name, i.e., lemongrass or citronella, etc. & not its botanical name. It is always a case of buyers, beware!

Cedric Chow - Aromatherapy Principal Trainer

All about Aromatherapy

Aromatic First Aid

Skin Care Seminar by Dalton