Winter Wellness and Essential Oils
Lots of people buy essential oils when they have a bug – hoping to keep it at bay, and that’s awesome. Having the right essential oils on hand to reduce the likelihood of allowing colds and airborne virus to spread in your home or office is maybe a better way to roll!
Many essential oils have properties that will reduce inflammation and function as antibacterials.
Essential oil diffusers themselves contribute to a healthier home. The vapour from an ultrasonic diffuser effectively deionises surrounding spaces – introducing negative ions, which effectively attach to airborne bacteria, mould spore and virus, pulling them away from your breathing space.
Just investing in a diffuser and diffusing water alone will contribute to fewer bugs surviving and spreading.
Adding the right blend of essential oils, however, is where the magic happens! Bear in mind that a number of viral infections have an incubation period of up to 5 days – so get diffusing the minute the symptoms show up for one person in the house! You need around 6 – 8 drops of essential oil for a medium sized room. Halve this if you have children under 12 or a small space to diffuse into (and by a quarter if it’s a small space with children in).
The essential oils we recommend vary slightly for each of the following conditions
Catarrh – inflamed nasal mucous membrane, resulting in thick phlegm – often with mild infection
Diffuse Lavender, lemon, tea tree, eucalyptus & peppermint oils.
Common cold – diffuse eucalyptus, ginger, lavender, lemon, tea tree, peppermint and include marjoram, which makes you feel calmer and brings you into a restful state. At night, add frankincense – which amplifies the properties of the other oils and adds its own dimension of restfulness & calm.
Fever – with high temperature (note – always consult a doctor when you have children showing fever). For adults, add to a warm bath (not hot), blended in a heavy oil such as flaxseed oil so that the essential oils sink into the bath water rather than floating on top: eucalyptus, lime, peppermint & lemongrass. Be careful not to rub your eyes with essential oils on them, and make sure children are not able to access essential oil bottles.
Flu virus – the incubation period for flu virus can be almost a week – make sure you diffuse continuously for a week. Diffuse ginger, lavender, lemon, marjoram, bergamot, eucalyptus.