When I attended homebirths I carried a small bottle of lavender scented oil. Back massage is a method to assist relaxation. The oil was one ounce of olive oil with 2 drops of lavender essential oil. A little oil in my hand added to comfort and effectiveness of massage. For women that like having their feet massaged, a little lavender oil is an added enhancement.
Tranquility and purity are inherent in the unique fragrance of lavender, as reflected by the seventeenth-century angling author Izaak Walton, “I long to be in a house where the sheets smell of lavender.” Its fresh clean scent was the favorite bathwater additive of the Greeks and Romans, and its name derives from the Latin lavare, “to wash”. [The Complete Book of Herbs by Lesley Bremness]
In addition, I learned that lavender is a mild antiseptic. It is beneficial to add 6 drops of lavender essential oil to a bath water or to the water in a birthing tub. A couple drops of lavender in a child’s bath is soothing.
With a bit of research I discovered that olive oil with lavender and juniper berry essential oils is soothing to hemorrhoids and helps them shrink. Two drops of each essential oil are added to one ounce of oil. A little of the oil is gently applied to the hemorrhoids.
Peppermint Oil is a deterrent to ants. I keep a spray bottle with 2 parts vinegar and one part water. I add a few drops of peppermint oil. I spray this in areas that ants are appearing.
Lemon Oil gives a nice clean scent to the air when it is used in a diffuser. A drop in water or tea is nice.
Essential oils are not regulated by the FDA. They are meant to be used for enhancement of health, not a cure for specific conditions.