by Tab Moura
The house is quiet, babies are sleeping, and the sun is down for the day… it’s time to get to work. I am staring at a stack of moving boxes, child-art in crayon cover the sides. We’re moving. The time has come to graduate from this season into another. Unlike what we know about Earth’s general weather patterns, there’s only one thing I know for sure at the moment… this is all new.
We’re heading for a major transition, and that got me thinking: can we prepare for the unknown?
So I dug. I am passionate about plant medicine so my first stop was a google search for essential oils that support transition. If I could find the essential oils that work, it would be a short leap to understand what cannabis strains support transition as well. I wasn’t surprised by the oils that popped up in my search, I just haven’t tried these combinations before – always something new to learn!
Cedarwood, Pine, Sandalwood, etc
I’m a big fan of wood-fragrances at bedtime, paired with Lavender, but I hadn’t considered what role the wood scents played. These are great essential oils and terpenes for unwinding and releasing stress, but depending on what they are paired with, they can also support motivation, creativity, and focus. Woodsie terpenes include Cedrane, Pinene, Camphene, and Carene.
Lavender, Jasmine, Chamomile, Sage, etc
I’m an avid consumer of herbs, from whole leaf teas to essential oils. The benefits are broad, but did you know they can promote emotional stillness? Bringing you to the present, these fragrances and their terpenes are powerful during any stressful time- especially transition. As for finding these benefits in cannabis, look out for terps like Linalool, Bisabolol, Geraniol, Phytol, Caryophyllene, and Humulene.
Citrus: lemongrass, lime, lemon, etc
Great for an uplift when you need them, citrus oils are a valuable asset to navigating transitions and looking on the bright side while you’re at it. You can find citrus terpenes like Limonene, Valencene, Nerolidol, etc at your local dispo. If you aren’t sure what to smell for, you can always ask to see the lab results.
The truth is, any major life change is going to come with grief, which may be a source of many different emotions. It’s ok if it looks messy, it’s ok if you need to process it slowly… but I hope that whatever life throws your way, plant medicine can be of some comfort to you.