MAY 29: It’s the new wellness accessory Australian health and style identities can’t get enough of: delicate gold-plated ear acupressure seeds offering therapeutic benefits with a chic aesthetic.
The wellness brand, born in Australia’s health and fashion mecca Bondi Beach, sold out of the luxe healing accessories just two days after launching, with hundreds signing up to their waitlist ahead of their next release on June 5.
Auricle founder Elle Halliwell, whose interest in auriculotherapy (ear acupressure) began in 2016 while pregnant with her first child, said the seeds were a great complement to acupuncture treatments but could be applied at home and were perfect for people who wanted to experience similar benefits to the treatment but without needles.
“Acupressure was a saving grace for me in my first trimester, as I found it really effective for nausea and headaches,” Elle said.
“Having battled generalised anxiety disorder since my late teens I have also found auriculotherapy incredibly beneficial for reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety.”
The former fashion editor, author and health coach, who received a blood cancer diagnosis just before her pregnancy news, says the modality of auriculotherapy has been well researched and studies have shown it may alleviate issues such as insomnia (Wang 2013), cravings and addiction, stress and anxiety, energy imbalance and fatigue, weight management (Yeo et al 2013), allergies (Lee, Park 2018), sciatica, headaches and back pain.
“Our health is a delicate balance between our minds, bodies and spirits,” Elle explained. “If one of these elements is out of kilter it can impact all areas of our wellbeing, so it’s really important that we regularly pause and tune into our bodies and minds so we can understand what they need.
“It’s something that in our fast-paced lives we tend to neglect, but through my mental health and cancer journey I’ve discovered it’s the most valuable thing we can do for ourselves, and an ear seeds ritual is a really beautiful way for us to restore this connection.”
Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz and Rachael Finch are among the celebrity fans of ear seed acupressure therapy, which was founded in the 1950s by neurologist Paul Nogier. Nogier discovered that stimulating points in the ears - a highly enervated part of the body - offered therapeutic effects and pain relief for his patients.
Auricle ear seeds offer both stimulating and warming 24k gold plated seeds, and sedating and cooling silver-plated varieties, with each pack (Gold plated pack RRP: $45) containing a detailed application guide, alcohol-based cleansing wipes and five healing protocols.
INSTAGRAM: @auricleearseeds
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/auricleearseeds/