The Quiet Strength of Hemlock Opening Breath

Hello Friend!

We’ve spent time exploring perception, how we interpret the world through scent, story, and the spaces we inhabit. This week, my thoughts return to where it all began for me: as a young registered nurse working long hospital shifts.

One of the first things I noticed wasn’t medical. It was sensory. The smells were unfamiliar: sterile, sometimes sour, strange, and not pleasant. I remember thinking, How can we expect people to feel better in places that don’t smell good? It planted a seed in me.

Years later, that seed grew into a deeper understanding: if we want to support healing, we must begin with comfort. We need beauty. We need environments that remind us that we're safe, held, and cared for. And a big part of that is breathing in healthy air. 

This is why I approach every essential oil not as a tool, but as a presence. Take hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) for example. Just one drop brings in the clarity of a forest morning. There’s something gentle and restorative in it, cool and clean, but with a softness that settles. The needles of this tree, the earth’s lungs, offer us their chemistry, calm, freshness, and brilliant aroma. 

Before we layer it with other oils and formulate, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the single note. Hemlock on its own is already a balm. It opens, soothes, and reconnects us to the earth’s rhythm. This grounds us in the beauty and comfort of a life-giving forest and sets the tone for healing to follow.

Aromatic Creations Recipe

Forest Breath Comfort Balm

The trees are the lungs of the earth.

Their branches stretch into the sky while their roots ground deep into the soil, cleansing the air and restoring balance. When we work with conifer essential oils, especially those expressed from the needles, we welcome this elemental intelligence into our homes, bodies, and breath.

This week’s aromatic offering is centered around hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a majestic evergreen known for its calming and respiratory-supportive properties. 

We’re making a chest balm that lingers on the skin, offering extended support and deeper absorption. It’s perfect for bedtime or quiet rest during congestion and fatigue. 

Ingredients

• 0.75 fl oz (about 22 ml) Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis)

• 0.25 oz (7 g) Beeswax (Cera flava)

• 6 drops Hemlock Oil (Tsuga canadensis)

• 5 drops Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)

• 4 drops Sweet Marjoram Oil (Origanum majorana)

• 3 drops Black Spruce Oil (Picea mariana)

Directions
Gently melt the beeswax into the jojoba oil using a double boiler. Once fully melted, remove from the heat and stir in the essential oils. Pour into a clean 1 oz (30 ml) jar and allow to set.

This balm helps open the lungs, calm the nervous system, soften tight breathing, and ease coughs. It stays with you longer, offering comfort that extends beyond the moment. 

Notes of Discovery

Conifer Oil Extravaganza!

This week, we’re revisiting a classic post from The Aromahead Blog that explores conifer essential oils' comforting, energizing magic. These oils’ aromas make you feel like you’re taking a healing retreat in a forest cabin. You’ll learn why these oils are incredible allies for respiratory health in winter weather and allergy season. They’re also exceptional for immune support and natural cleaning. 

Get a simple, invigorating Black Spruce Boost Body Oil recipe designed to ease sore muscles, uplift your mood, and bring clarity to your day. If you’re ready to feel refreshed and inspired, this blend (and this post) is for you.

Product Spotlight

Hemlock Essential Oil Tsuga canadensis

Sometimes, you just have to breathe it in to understand its power.

Hemlock essential oil offers a clean, evergreen aroma that brings genuine support for the respiratory system, calm for the nervous system, and gentle clarity to the mind. This oil feels like stepping into a quiet forest after a long day: cool, fresh, and releasing.

Harvested from Eastern Canada’s boreal forest, hemlock comes from a landscape defined by stillness, strength, and natural purity. Its presence in a blend or balm carries the clean breath of ancient trees and unspoiled air.

It’s especially helpful during cold and flu season, when the body craves deeper breathing and better rest. Use it alone or as the foundation of a blend for congestion, stress, and tension.

Key Benefits:

• Helps open the airways and ease breathing

• Calms muscle spasms and tension

• Supports the body’s ability to reduce mucus buildup

• Helps loosen congestion and supports gentle release of phlegm

• Fights airborne microbes and surface germs

• Supports the body’s natural defense against fungal imbalances

• Encourages rest and a sense of quiet calm

Whether used in a diffuser, balm, or steam, hemlock creates a grounded and clear space, offering an ancient forest remedy for modern times.

From The Vine

Is Hemlock Essential Oil Poisonous? Let’s Clear That Up!

Now and then, I’m asked:
“Wait… isn’t hemlock poisonous?”

It’s a good question, and a completely understandable one. After all, hemlock is famously known as the plant that took the life of Socrates in the play Phaedo, and its name is often associated with danger. But here’s the important distinction:

The poisonous plant is Conium maculatum, an herbaceous species that grows in fields and along creek banks. It is not used in aromatherapy and should never be distilled.

The hemlock essential oil we use comes from an entirely different source, Tsuga canadensis, the Eastern hemlock tree. A graceful evergreen native to the boreal forests of Eastern Canada, this plant offers nothing but support when used appropriately.

Quick Clarification:

Conium maculatum = toxic herbaceous plant (not used in aromatherapy)
Tsuga canadensis = safe, non-toxic tree (source of our hemlock essential oil)

• The oil is steam-distilled from the tree’s needles and twigs

• Offers respiratory support, calm, and immune benefits

• Always check Latin names to ensure safety and proper identification

So yes, hemlock essential oil is safe, soothing, and incredibly useful. A forest ally, not a poison!

Stay Inspired!

This quote is a beautiful reminder that we’re not separate from nature; we are nature. When we’re feeling unwell or off-center, returning to nature’s rhythm, its beauty, balance, and breath can help restore our own.