Research into the medicinal actions of essential oils has consistently emphasized a few particular benefits. Some of the most important, and most clearly effective, are the uses for oils to prevent and treat infectious illness. No need to wait and catch a cold to see if aromatherapy will work for you! Using a few oils consistently throughout the cooler months can keep you and your family healthy throughout the season.
Very simply, regular inhalation of essential oils can have measurable, positive effects on our immune function. Inhalation serves two purposes: oils come in contact with the mucous membranes of our respiratory system (where viruses and bacteria enter our bodies), and oils also get into our bloodstream this way.
Research indicates that essential oils can prevent or limit viral replication via “pretreatment”. In other words, cells that have come in contact with antiviral essential oils first are not as easily infected by viruses. (This particular effect was shown with melissa essential oil and the herpes virus, and should prove true with other correctly paired oil/virus combinations). This is important specifically for the first line of defense, the cells of the respiratory system lining.
When the oils get into our bloodstream through inhalation, research has shown this has a direct effect on our immune function. The cells in our body which consume and eliminate foreign invaders, called phagocytes, step up their action. This research was done with eucalyptus, and the result is thought to happen with with any oil containing the natural chemical “1,8-cineole” (also found in rosemary). Further, these oils reduce the inflammation caused by viral invaders (as an aside, they can be helpful for conditions of bronchitis, asthma, and rhinosinusitis).
Essential oils vaporized into your surrounding environment has proven antimicrobial effects as well. Research indicates vaporized oils can dramatically reduce airborne microbial counts, and even destroy microbes on surfaces. This inactivation goes on inside the body as well. So with diffusing essential oils, you eliminate these little buggers in the air, on surfaces and in your body all at the same time. Oh, and it’ll smell nice, too!
The easiest way to support immunity with oils is to carry a small vial of an antimicrobial oil (or blend) with you and inhale from it a few times per day. It has been shown that blue gum eucalyptus oil alone can boost immune function — though its anti-microbial properties are not so strong. For a blend with a more complete action, use equal parts of eucalyptus, laurel leaf (potentially the most antiviral oil for protection from respiratory ailments) and tea tree — maybe with a few drops of melissa in there for good measure.
Stepping up to more complete protection, using a method that will more easily protect your whole family, look into a nebulizing diffuser. Look for one that makes a mist of just the oil, without mixing it with water (as “ultrasonic” diffusers do). You can purchase a programmable appliance timer to work with the diffuser, and set it so that it runs for five to seven minutes every hour. This is generally the most conservative and effective way to use your oils — though you can simply set it on the very lowest output and let it run continually.
Topical application, or use of the oils in baths are also excellent therapeutic means. Many users find these oils can be used “neat”, but certainly dilute in a carrier if there’s any chance of skin sensitivity (or if using with children). Massage small amounts daily into the chest bone, under the chin and on the sides of throat, and all around the ends of your feet. A few drops into a drawn bath allows for both absorption through the skin as well as inhalation.
That’s all there is to it! Just the regular inhalation (or topical application) of small amounts of relatively inexpensive oils can make all the difference in preventing colds and flu this year. Aromatherapy practitioners report great success with these simple practices.
The author is a consultant for Ananda Aromatherapy, a source for truly therapeutic oils, like Helichrysum and Rose, at wholesale prices for everyone. Visit today to learn more on the vast medical uses of essential oils.