last month I shared with you some innovative ways that we can pamper ourselves with Young Living’s oils and oil-infused products. But one story I didn’t share with you came from my friend Kylie Bryant.

Are you keen to know how she uses the scents of Ecuador to pamper herself? That’s what today’s bulletin is all about.

But rather than just focussing on the oils, I also want to carry you back in time to when Gary Young, the founder of Young Living, first came to Ecuador with his wife Mary, and his children Jacob and Josef. 

I still remember when they moved to Ecuador in 2005. I attended an event with Gary in October 2005 in Cuenca. Gary was so excited to be in Ecuador, because it brought him closer to the treasure chest of the Amazon jungle, and all its amazing wisdom and aromatic plants.

While we were there, Gary introduced us to Dr. Rodas, the Dean of the Medical School at the University of Azuay in Cuenca, Ecuador. Together, they had a dream to create a University Program for medical students, based around essential oils.

Gary also told us how he would be joining Dr. Rodas with his not-for-profit mobile medical unit. Together they would travel around Ecuador, helping people in remote areas to access free medical assistance and surgeries. Gary would be bringing with him on the journey not only his knowledge of natural medicine (being a naturopathic physician himself), but also his precious Young Living essential oils – oils which he would use to calm and de-stress the Ecuadorian people prior to their medical procedures.

Gary ended up making many trips with Dr. Rodas in the mobile medical unit, and together they discovered that by working on the emotions of their patients, there was always a much better prognosis, and they’d recover faster. This makes so much sense – we all know how powerful a positive mindset can be in any aspect of healing….and the oils sure do help us to transform our mindset!

At that time in 2005, Gary was already dreaming about doing some farming in Ecuador. He was so excited by the climate of Ecuador, with its mineral rich soils and its consistent sunshine throughout the year. Initially he thought he’d create 3 farms near Cuenca. But he soon realised that Cuenca wasn’t the ideal place for farming – it’s too high in altitude, and hence too cool a climate.

That’s when Gary set his sights on Guayaquil, and moved his family there. The University program didn’t unfold, but Gary had bigger visions – to set up a clinic where medical doctors would specialise in natural therapies, and work alongside other practitioners. This meant all visitors would receive not only great integrative medical care, but also deep emotional support using essential oils and modalities like Raindrop Technique and Emotional Clearing Technique.

I visited Gary and Mary for a second time in 2007, and was excited to spend time in the very first Nova Vita Centre in Guayaquil, pictured below. 

Big news….an Ecuadorian Farm was born!

It was on that trip that Gary announced that he had bought a farm just outside of Guayaquil, in the Chongon area. Mary proceeded to tell us the harsh realities of their life in Guayaquil at that time, where they were living in a home without hot water, which had bamboo support poles holding up the ceiling, cracks in the walls, one ceiling falling in, and rain coming through the roof, running down between the wall and the paint. She said:

Our best friend down here is Thieves Household Cleaner, and a fly swatter!But as Gary began to explore the region, he said to me, “I think we are here in Ecuador for a different reason – not to create a University program, but to discover new oils and grow plants”.

“So he started looking for property – some land to buy – and he found this property. We bought 13 pieces of property in “right of possession”, then we had to work to get the title, pay the back taxes, pay the community. It was nothing but jungle and weeds when we got it….We are building a home on the farm so that we can live there. And the road is very important – it’s our access to the farm. We’d love to take you out there if we have a road. A few days ago, we lost 100 feet of road. It got washed away in the rain, but it’s since been repaired.”

And that’s how our Young Living Ecuadorian farm began!!! The Nova Vita clinic eventually moved from Guayaquil to the farm, and was renamed the Nova Vita Health and Wellness Centre.

When I visited Gary for the third time in Ecuador in 2008, he began teaching us a brand new modality that he’d developed called Neuroauricular Technique, which he was using at the Nova Vita Centre. And he introduced us to his latest discovery – administering an IV drip containing essential oils to the patients of Nova Vita. This was a world first!

Are you keen to see what the Nova Vita Centre looks like today? Check it out!

And so you can easily see that Ecuador was fertile ground – not only in bringing us a whole plethora of amazing essential oils and a pivotal new farm, but also in inspiring Gary in so many other discoveries and teachings. 

So now….let me introduce you to 4 of our amazing oils from our Ecuadorian farm….

Soak in the scent of Ecuador

Kylie B. writes: 

My weekly pampering is a bath that has the Ecuadorian Sunset blend of oils. To find this kit in your Virtual Office, search on “Collection” and you are looking for the product called “Finca Botanica Farm – The Collection”.

The Finca Botanica Farm is Young Living’s farm in Ecuador. These amazing scents take me back to when I was there… 

The Finca Botanica Farm Collection features four rare, exotic essential oils from plants cultivated at Young Living’s Finca Botanica Farm and Distillery in Chongon, Ecuador: Incan Melissa, Paicotea, Ecuadorian Ylang Ylang, and Palo Santo.

Young Living writes: Construction of the Finca Botanica Farm and Distillery was a passion project for Young Living Founder, D. Gary Young. The unique microclimate in this region of Ecuador supports year-round cultivation, with rich soil and lush surroundings. Today, Young Living actively farms 2,000 acres at Finca Botanica, producing several unique essential oils, including the four essential oils in this collection: Incan Melissa, Paicotea, Ecuadorian Ylang Ylang, and Palo Santo. This collection celebrates the unique biodiversity of the farm and highlights Young Living’s commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing. Enjoy this bouquet of exotic oils and their benefits, individually or combined. 

The farm supports many Ecuadorian families, whom Young Living contracts to gather wildcrafted Palo Santo, Paicotea, and Ocotea.

Incan Melissa essential oil

This is a new, Young Living exclusive essential oil extracted from Lippia alba. This plant was historically used by the Incan people, and its profile of natural plant chemicals is similar to Melissa essential oil, containing linalool, citral, camphor, polyphenol and limonene. This gives it a fresh, citrusy aroma (similar to Lemon Verbena).

Anything with a lemon-like scent is guaranteed to uplift our moods and our senses, and Incan Melissa definitely does this! But like Lavender and Frankincense, it’s also a “Universal Oil” – meaning it benefits us in so many ways that “When in doubt, reach for Incan Melissa!” Use it in your diffuser for refreshing the air and neutralising unwanted odours, or apply a drop to your wrists or chest, and enjoy its aroma all day long!

Paicotea essential oil

This is a new, Young Living exclusive essential oil extracted from wildcrafted leaves and branches of Ocotea aciphylla, an Amazonian tree related to Ocotea.

It has a warm, spicy aroma similar to but more delicate than Cinnamon Bark essential oil, making it a great addition to bath and body care recipes (where one drop goes a very long way!)

It’s also wonderful to use in DIY recipes in place of Cinnamon Bark or Ocotea. Try adding 15ml of Thieves Household Cleaner into a 500ml spray bottle. Add 10 drops of Paicotea essential oil, and top up with water for a refreshing and spicy cleaning solution.

Ecuadorian Ylang Ylang essential oil

Gary was such a fan of Ylang Ylang oil…and I’ll admit, for me I find it a bit sickly sweet. That’s why I have fallen in LOVE with Ecuadorian Ylang Ylang, which is an oil exclusive to Young Living. Unlike traditional Ylang Ylang which is distilled in Madagascar, the Ecaudorian Ylang Ylang has a softer, smoother aroma. This is purely the result of its unique growing conditions at the Young Living Finca Botanica farm – the mineral rich soils, the rainfall, the very consistent sunshine.

Ecuadorian Ylang Ylang oil promotes the appearance of healthy-looking skin and shiny hair. It’s sweet (but not too sweet) aroma inspires self-love, romance and a deep sense of inner joy. It’s like putting a smile onto your body wherever you place this oil. Just try it!!! I’ll bet it becomes one of your favourite oils, too! 

Palo Santo essential oil 

I LOVE this oil!!! It’s harvested from the wood of the Palo Santo tree. If you’ve ever smudged yourself with a burning stick of Palo Santo, you will be struck by the incredibly unique fragrance of the oil, which is found in veins in the wood.

I always think of Palo Santo oil as “Nature’s Revenge”. If you cut down a Palo Santo tree with the intention of distilling it to obtain oil, it will give you NO oil.

Instead, you need to wait for the tree to die naturally, and be in this state of decay for 5 or more years before it will yield its oil. And even then, the oil yield is influenced by the cycles of the moon. Distill on the full moon, and there is too much water in the wood so you won’t get enough oil. It needs to be distilled on or around the new moon.

Young Living has many tens of thousands of Palo Santo trees on their farm in Ecuador, and they also extract the oil from dead trees and fallen branches sustainably wildcrafted in the Ecuadorian highlands.

Related to Frankincense and Myrrh, Palo Santo was traditionally used in spiritual practices to cleanse the energy field of negative energies and evil spirits, and to keep bad dreams away. It has an alluring, smooth, sensual and “creamy” wood aroma that can be used to elevate your yoga, meditation, or spiritual experiences.

How to use: Add some Palo Santo oil to your diffuser (try it mixed with a lighter citrus oil like Orange or Lemon, and a sweeter floral oil like Ecuadorian Ylang Ylang or Geranium). Alternatively, you can apply a drop or two of Palo Santo every day to protect your energy. Pop it in your palms and rub your palms together and brush over your auric field, or put it on C7-T1 (the base of your neck where it joins your back) for extra spiritual protection. 

If you want to learn more about Palo Santo oil, click here to read my previous bulletin about this most mysterious of essential oils. 

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