Most practitioners of aroma-therapeutics hold this opinion: THE most effective use of essential oils for health is for the prevention and treatment of infectious illness. Aromatherapy in the USA is still mostly relegated to New Age "hocus pocus", and some pretty-smelling little bottles of liquid. However, in recent years scientific researchers have compiled HUGE amounts of data regarding the effectiveness of essential oils in combating bacterial and viral infections. The oils protect us from infection in a number of ways, and it's very simple to use essential oils at home for their protective effects. Lets look at how to use essential oils for this purpose, and which oils to choose for best results.
Why Are Essential Oils Such Effective Antimicrobial Medicines?
For the uninitiated, essential oils are the volatile aromatic compounds distilled from plants. In this way, they just happen to be a particular form of herbal medicine, just any other medicinal plant extract. At the same time, they're quite unique in terms of their health effects: Firstly, they are easily absorbed by our bodies, getting into the nooks-and-crannies of our physiology -- some other forms of herbal medicine are difficult to absorb, and require extensive preparation, which is really already done by the person who has distilled the essential oil. Second, in terms of infectious illness, essential oils can do for us EXACTLY the same thing they do for plants: prevent infection from bacteria, viruses and fungus. An excellent analogy would be extracting particular antioxidants from a plant and ingesting this for capturing oxidative radicals in our bodies -- the antioxidant serves precisely the same function for the plant.
The Science Behind Essential Oils As Agents For Immune-System Protection
Scientific researchers have demonstrated antiviral, antibacterial and immune-system stimulating actions of a great many essential oils in laboratory settings. Essential oil of Oregano is one of the most effective antibacterials available, and can be ingested in small doses by humans for this effect because of its low toxicity (household bleach is an excellent antibacterial, but is highly poisonous!). Tea Tree essential oil was recently shown to destroy the H1N1 virus (Letters in Applied Microbiology, Sept. 2009); Bay Laurel has this effect against the virus SARS-CoV; MANY essential oils prevent the spread of, and heal infections from HSV-1 and HSV-2. Further, essential oils have demonstrated abilities to improve the function of our immune system: in the April 2008 issue of BMC Immunology, Eucalyptus essential oil was shown to significantly improve immune cell response, and this same essential oil is considered to have anti-viral action as well.
Cold and Flu Prevention At Home and In The Workplace
Therapists recommend two methods of using essential oils for immune system support and protection from infectious illness: inhalation through diffusion, and topical application via massage and baths. Diffusion is a excellent means if using the oils in the workplace or other clinical settings, as the method is truly passive -- just breathing the air imparts the therapeutic properties of the oils. All the methods discussed are also appropriate if one has already contracted an illness, and can be of greatest help in the first stages of infection.
Easy, Profound Benefits Through Diffusion
Diffusing essential oils is one of three primary modalities of aromatherapy (the other two being aroma-massage and ingestion). Evaporating the oils in your environment offers several important benefits: the air is disinfected, the scent of the oils is apparent -- offering mood lifting effects, and secondary immune-enhancing effects for some people, and the oils are inhaled and absorbed by the body. This is an exceptionally useful means of using the oils for immune support in crowded environments, having the potential effect of reducing the spread of contagions. Perhaps the most important effect is the direct contact of the essential oils with our respiratory system -- the sinuses and the lungs -- where having cells be more resistant to infection can have the most beneficial result.
The Right Diffuser For The Job
One means to do both is using a professional-grade essential oil diffuser. For all these purposes, a high-quality nebulizing diffuser is the best choice, capable of making the highest concentration of essential oil in the air in your environment. Other diffusers will make a nice aroma for sure, but the cold-air (as opposed to 'ultrasonic') nebulizer will make a fine mist of pure essential oils, and is easily adjusted to suit the size of your environment. A nebulizer should only be used for a few minutes every hour; essential oils are very potent, and one should never feel overwhelmed by their aromas. By using a diffuser coupled with a timer, you can cycle the diffuser ON for 10 minutes, then OFF for 50 throughout the day and night. This method also conserves the oils to keep costs to a minimum.
Topical Application: Massages and Baths
Because essential oils pass readily through human tissue, topical application is also particularly effective. For this purpose, the essential oils are diluted in another oil like Sweet Almond, Jojoba, or Coconut (virgin Coconut oil is fast becoming popular for this particular therapeutic purpose, as it is considered to have antimicrobial actions even by itself -- just warm until liquid to mix with essential oils). A 5% dilution of essential oils in the "carrier oil" is common for adults (this is 40 drops total essential oils per fluid ounce of carrier -- we'll look at some recipes in a moment). Use up to a 10% dilution if applying to the feet. For children, use only a 1-3% dilution (the lower dilutions for the younger ones). Do not use essential oils with infants unless you're guided by a professional. A simple aroma-therapy bath can be had just by adding a tablespoon of your formula to a bath once its already drawn, swirling the oils into the water. A deep soak while the pores and sinuses are open is a time-honored treatment method.
Therapeutic Immune-Stimulating Massage
Simple massage can be performed one or two times daily to the most receptive areas of the body. The feet are reputed to be highly receptive for all aroma-therapeutic treatments, including immune-support. Simply massage both feet thoroughly with the mixture; if you have access to a reflexology chart, you can focus extra attention to the respiratory and lymph systems. Of course, these are the important areas of the body to massage directly as well: the chest, the neck, the armpits, and being careful about sensitivity (dilute further if necessary) the sinuses and temples, and the groin area.
Antimicrobial and Immune-stimulant Recipes
A few oils are considered both very safe AND highly effective for our purposes. Niaouli is considered by some to be the most potent immune-stimulating oil available, though its "fishy-eucalyptus" smell is a challenge for some. But other oils in the same family are also very effective, and more pleasant to use: Eucalyptus Radiata, Bay Laurel, Melissa, Tea Tree, Thyme (for family use, choose only the Linalool chemotype), Ravensara, Rosemary, Rosalina, Lavender and Hyssop are excellent choices. For home or clinical use, an excellent "starter" formula can be made by choosing any of these three oils and mixing them together in equal parts. Even better, choose one from each "family" of oils shown: Eucalyptus from the "cineol" oils, Lavender from the florals, and Melissa from the herbs. (Because of the high cost and exceptional potency of Melissa, it can be used at about 1/5th portion of the other oils).
Taking into account both the scientific research AND the safety of oils for use with all-ages, Bay Laurel, Eucalyptus Radiata, Tea Tree and Lavender may be the most effective, safe, and affordable oils available. These oils generally have pleasant aromas and are readily available. (Note: Tea Tree MUST be from a fresh, high quality source for a pleasing scent -- otherwise its aroma can be so medicinal that you, and particularly your children, will avoid using it. If the aroma is not to your liking, try Rosalina, another highly-regarded antimicrobial Australian oil with a more pleasant scent). For diffuser use, try equal parts of these oils. For topical application, use 10 drops of each oil in Coconut oil (you can double the concentration for application to the feet) -- this same mixture can be added to the bath. Again, for children, reduce the concentration appropriately for their age, and for diffuser use, there should only be enough aroma in the air so the scent can JUST be detected and no more.
Essential Oils: A Simple Means to Vibrant Health
During the cold seasons, these simple uses of essential oils can have profound results for your immune system, and the health of your friends, co-workers, clients, family and children. You can be confident of the scientifically-supported benefits of these wonderful herbal medicines. And as oils have so many positive health effects outside of just supporting immune system function, you'll open the door to a new realm of natural health.
Why Are Essential Oils Such Effective Antimicrobial Medicines?
For the uninitiated, essential oils are the volatile aromatic compounds distilled from plants. In this way, they just happen to be a particular form of herbal medicine, just any other medicinal plant extract. At the same time, they're quite unique in terms of their health effects: Firstly, they are easily absorbed by our bodies, getting into the nooks-and-crannies of our physiology -- some other forms of herbal medicine are difficult to absorb, and require extensive preparation, which is really already done by the person who has distilled the essential oil. Second, in terms of infectious illness, essential oils can do for us EXACTLY the same thing they do for plants: prevent infection from bacteria, viruses and fungus. An excellent analogy would be extracting particular antioxidants from a plant and ingesting this for capturing oxidative radicals in our bodies -- the antioxidant serves precisely the same function for the plant.
The Science Behind Essential Oils As Agents For Immune-System Protection
Scientific researchers have demonstrated antiviral, antibacterial and immune-system stimulating actions of a great many essential oils in laboratory settings. Essential oil of Oregano is one of the most effective antibacterials available, and can be ingested in small doses by humans for this effect because of its low toxicity (household bleach is an excellent antibacterial, but is highly poisonous!). Tea Tree essential oil was recently shown to destroy the H1N1 virus (Letters in Applied Microbiology, Sept. 2009); Bay Laurel has this effect against the virus SARS-CoV; MANY essential oils prevent the spread of, and heal infections from HSV-1 and HSV-2. Further, essential oils have demonstrated abilities to improve the function of our immune system: in the April 2008 issue of BMC Immunology, Eucalyptus essential oil was shown to significantly improve immune cell response, and this same essential oil is considered to have anti-viral action as well.
Cold and Flu Prevention At Home and In The Workplace
Therapists recommend two methods of using essential oils for immune system support and protection from infectious illness: inhalation through diffusion, and topical application via massage and baths. Diffusion is a excellent means if using the oils in the workplace or other clinical settings, as the method is truly passive -- just breathing the air imparts the therapeutic properties of the oils. All the methods discussed are also appropriate if one has already contracted an illness, and can be of greatest help in the first stages of infection.
Easy, Profound Benefits Through Diffusion
Diffusing essential oils is one of three primary modalities of aromatherapy (the other two being aroma-massage and ingestion). Evaporating the oils in your environment offers several important benefits: the air is disinfected, the scent of the oils is apparent -- offering mood lifting effects, and secondary immune-enhancing effects for some people, and the oils are inhaled and absorbed by the body. This is an exceptionally useful means of using the oils for immune support in crowded environments, having the potential effect of reducing the spread of contagions. Perhaps the most important effect is the direct contact of the essential oils with our respiratory system -- the sinuses and the lungs -- where having cells be more resistant to infection can have the most beneficial result.
The Right Diffuser For The Job
One means to do both is using a professional-grade essential oil diffuser. For all these purposes, a high-quality nebulizing diffuser is the best choice, capable of making the highest concentration of essential oil in the air in your environment. Other diffusers will make a nice aroma for sure, but the cold-air (as opposed to 'ultrasonic') nebulizer will make a fine mist of pure essential oils, and is easily adjusted to suit the size of your environment. A nebulizer should only be used for a few minutes every hour; essential oils are very potent, and one should never feel overwhelmed by their aromas. By using a diffuser coupled with a timer, you can cycle the diffuser ON for 10 minutes, then OFF for 50 throughout the day and night. This method also conserves the oils to keep costs to a minimum.
Topical Application: Massages and Baths
Because essential oils pass readily through human tissue, topical application is also particularly effective. For this purpose, the essential oils are diluted in another oil like Sweet Almond, Jojoba, or Coconut (virgin Coconut oil is fast becoming popular for this particular therapeutic purpose, as it is considered to have antimicrobial actions even by itself -- just warm until liquid to mix with essential oils). A 5% dilution of essential oils in the "carrier oil" is common for adults (this is 40 drops total essential oils per fluid ounce of carrier -- we'll look at some recipes in a moment). Use up to a 10% dilution if applying to the feet. For children, use only a 1-3% dilution (the lower dilutions for the younger ones). Do not use essential oils with infants unless you're guided by a professional. A simple aroma-therapy bath can be had just by adding a tablespoon of your formula to a bath once its already drawn, swirling the oils into the water. A deep soak while the pores and sinuses are open is a time-honored treatment method.
Therapeutic Immune-Stimulating Massage
Simple massage can be performed one or two times daily to the most receptive areas of the body. The feet are reputed to be highly receptive for all aroma-therapeutic treatments, including immune-support. Simply massage both feet thoroughly with the mixture; if you have access to a reflexology chart, you can focus extra attention to the respiratory and lymph systems. Of course, these are the important areas of the body to massage directly as well: the chest, the neck, the armpits, and being careful about sensitivity (dilute further if necessary) the sinuses and temples, and the groin area.
Antimicrobial and Immune-stimulant Recipes
A few oils are considered both very safe AND highly effective for our purposes. Niaouli is considered by some to be the most potent immune-stimulating oil available, though its "fishy-eucalyptus" smell is a challenge for some. But other oils in the same family are also very effective, and more pleasant to use: Eucalyptus Radiata, Bay Laurel, Melissa, Tea Tree, Thyme (for family use, choose only the Linalool chemotype), Ravensara, Rosemary, Rosalina, Lavender and Hyssop are excellent choices. For home or clinical use, an excellent "starter" formula can be made by choosing any of these three oils and mixing them together in equal parts. Even better, choose one from each "family" of oils shown: Eucalyptus from the "cineol" oils, Lavender from the florals, and Melissa from the herbs. (Because of the high cost and exceptional potency of Melissa, it can be used at about 1/5th portion of the other oils).
Taking into account both the scientific research AND the safety of oils for use with all-ages, Bay Laurel, Eucalyptus Radiata, Tea Tree and Lavender may be the most effective, safe, and affordable oils available. These oils generally have pleasant aromas and are readily available. (Note: Tea Tree MUST be from a fresh, high quality source for a pleasing scent -- otherwise its aroma can be so medicinal that you, and particularly your children, will avoid using it. If the aroma is not to your liking, try Rosalina, another highly-regarded antimicrobial Australian oil with a more pleasant scent). For diffuser use, try equal parts of these oils. For topical application, use 10 drops of each oil in Coconut oil (you can double the concentration for application to the feet) -- this same mixture can be added to the bath. Again, for children, reduce the concentration appropriately for their age, and for diffuser use, there should only be enough aroma in the air so the scent can JUST be detected and no more.
Essential Oils: A Simple Means to Vibrant Health
During the cold seasons, these simple uses of essential oils can have profound results for your immune system, and the health of your friends, co-workers, clients, family and children. You can be confident of the scientifically-supported benefits of these wonderful herbal medicines. And as oils have so many positive health effects outside of just supporting immune system function, you'll open the door to a new realm of natural health.
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You may even try using Flower Essences like Rescue Remedy, along with calming essential oils during the holiday season. For more, visit anandaapothecary.com
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