The Essentials of Essential Oils

It all started at a dog park for Amber Laign and Marci Freede, the founders of Plant Juice Oils. Both women were in the midst of caring for family in a difficult health journey, and both were searching for answers. After discovering the wonder of essential oils – particularly lavender – Amber was singing its praises from the rooftops of the Upper West Side of Manhattan. That’s when Marci started listening. Together, they began learning all they could about essential oils and creating their own blends for family and friends, ultimately leading them to found Plant Juice Oils, a premier brand of essential oil and CBD blends focusing on women going through peri and menopause.

Essential oils play a significant role in the holistic medicine movement, and part of Amber and Marci’s mission is to educate consumers about what they are and how they work. “Essential oils is like the name of the company. It’s the juice of the plant. So they are extracted from the plant, and each plant has its own properties to it, and the different properties and different chemical compounds help aid in various wellness [capacities],” Amber told us. Marci went on to add, “It’s the life source of the plant. Thousands of years ago, long before Western medications, people used essential oils to heal.”

What makes Plant Juice Oils unique is their infusion of CBD (Cannabidiol), which provides multifaceted relief for a whole litany of issues. CBD is often misunderstood and lumped in with other cannabis products, but it’s different from typical cannabis products in that it doesn’t contain THC, the compound in the plant that creates psychoactive effects. “That’s why it’s important for Amber and I to educate as much as we can,” Marci noted. CBD-infused Plant Juice Oils products are made with broad-spectrum CBD, which, as Marci taught us, “has zero THC, but has many other cannabinoids present that do great things for the body.”

Plant Juice Oils is currently made up of 17 products, ranging from tinctures and rollers to creams and sprays to softgels. “When we designed the line, we first started with four pillars that we really felt women were in need of – sleep, stress, pain, and low energy. And then we built outwards,” Amber shared. Marci echoed that sentiment, saying, “We started this company to help women.”

And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Amber told us the story of one of their first customers, Amanda, who was plagued with debilitating migraines and now enjoys a full and functional life with the help of the Plant Juice Oils CBD Tincture. “People write to us all the time,” Amber says. Women are also finding community in their Facebook Group: Menopause and Mocktails. “I think we’re also here to break the stigma of menopause a little bit. We’re having so many people join [the FB group] because going through this time in your life can be difficult, and knowing others are going through it too makes it a better experience all around with the support of other women.”

They’ve come a long way since the infamous lavender “gateway oil,” as Amber calls it, but one thing remains the same: their mission. Amber and Marci are supporting women through the stages of peri and menopause, helping them to advocate for themselves and feel less alone as they do so.

FOLLOW AMBER AND MARCI:

• @plantjuiceoils