As promised in my introduction to essential oils post, I would like to talk about some specific uses for essential oils. People have been using essential oils since ancient times, and one of the main things they can improve is your health! So today I’d like to do an overview featuring five major essential oils that benefit your health—a natural first aid kit, if you will. We will take a look at the oil, how it can benefit your health, and the best way to use it.
Keep in mind that a lot of these oils have multiple uses, but today we are focusing on the body’s wellness. Here are five popular oils:
1. Peppermint
It’s not very surprising when you think about it, but peppermint oil is great for clearing up sinuses. It is also good for fighting nausea, providing relief for sore muscles, and helping with headaches. For sinus care, you can smell the peppermint directly for instant relief. For long term relief, and to fight nausea and headaches, I would use a diffuser overnight. Just mix a few drops in with water and let the peppermint work its magic! That just leaves us with sore muscles, and in those instances peppermint oil can be used topically.
2. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is pretty strong, and it is recommend to dilute before applying topically or digesting for any reason. I usually use eucalyptus as an alternative to peppermint, as I hate the smell and taste of peppermint (so much I cant even use mint toothpaste). It shares the benefits of helping with sinus congestion and sore muscles, but eucalyptus is also known for helping coughs. I usually get a really bad cough at least twice a year, and putting eucalyptus in my diffuser really helps loosen it up and get rid of it quick! Eucalyptus is also known to help boost the immune system, so if you suffer from frequent colds it wouldn’t hurt to use it a couple times a week.
3. Ginger
Ginger is made up of components that act as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. You can actually use ginger topically on an area of pain, and it will provide some instant relief. Typically, though, I use ginger oil for nausea. It is super effective—cancer centers have actually been known to use ginger with their radiation patients. You can smell the ginger oil for an instant curb to your nausea, or even dilute it in a glass of water and it will help regulate digestion. It’s also said that ginger can control and kill various fungal infections when used topically.
4. Tea Tree
Expanding on the super lovely idea of fungal infections, tea tree is well-known for its ability to kill parasites and fungus. It is most popularly used with ringworm, athletes foot, and of course toe nail fungus. Tea Tree is also good for skin inflammation, and is well-known as a treatment for eczema and to help reduce psoriasis. I personally like to add a few drops of tea tree oil to my shampoo instead of purchasing a dandruff shampoo. It works really well to help moisturize my scalp! Also, keep in mind tea tree oil should not be ingested. This one is only used topically!
5. Frankincense
I’ve actually never used frankincense, but apparently I need to. It is said that frankincense can help prevent tooth decay and cavities when mixed with a toothpaste. People also claim that mixing a couple drops in with water provides relief for stomach aches, or even period cramps. Used with a diffuser or inhaled, frankincense can help with nasal inflammation and coughs. Frankincense can even be used topically to help wounds finish healing or reduce scarring. You can find more information on the health benefits of frankincense on this site.
Like I said, a lot of these oils have plenty of other uses as well, but today I wanted to focus on the health benefits. To me, there is something really satisfying (almost comforting) about being able to use an all-natural extract as an alternative to actual medications. There have been a number of times in the past couple years that Eucalyptus has saved me from a visit to the doctor over a cough, or that ginger has kept me from puking my guts up from nausea created by a migraine. On top of that, in extreme headache situations, peppermint (if I can deal with the smell; it has to be really bad for me to resort to it) can actually get me back to feeling like a human. As long as you are careful to get the all natural essential oils, you can get these benefits too!
Are there any essential oils you use in your everyday health regime that you want to share? Tell me in the comments below!
This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing these. Also, with Tea Tree Oil, you can use it on your child’s scalp to get rid of the school problem, head lice. I won’t say how I know this, so just take my word for it.
Thanks again for posting this.
I didn’t know that, Andria, thank you for sharing!
I am glad you found the post helpful 🙂
-Mary