One of the most rigorously studied aspects of aromatherapy is the ability of essential oils to support immune function. Many oils have proven antibacterial and antiviral action, while also having the ability to improve the action of our immune systems. The prevention and treatment of infectious illness is where many natural health professionals believe aroma-therapeutics will really shine, and might bring essential oils out of their niche and into mainstream medical use. The oils and the practices to keep your children and family (or for professionals, your co-workers and clients) illness-free during the so-called cold and flu season. Here’s a look at the science, the practices, the oils, and some easy-to-make recipes for the home practitioner.
What Are Essential Oils and How Can They Help Us?
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.
The Practices for Cold and Flu Prevention
So how can you employ essential oils for the health of your family and children? Or for those in clinical settings, how can oils be used to prevent the spread of infection? There are two primary features to the oils that you’ll want to utilize: their direct eradication of microbes in the air, and their ability to support our immune systems to prevent infection within our bodies. There are two methods of using essential oils for these purposes: Diffusion and topical application. Both these methods are also useful if one has already caught a cold or flu, particularly in the early stages.
Easy, Profound Benefits Through Diffusion
Diffusing essential oils into your environment provides three primary benefits: First, the oils are directly eliminating microbes in the air, thus reducing the concentration of live pathogens you may be inhaling or touching at any time and reducing the load on your immune system. Second, most essential oils, and particularly the strong anti-microbial ones, have an uplifting effect on the psyche. Many practitioners consider the mind-body link crucial to overall health, and specifically to an effective immune system. Finally, inhalation of essential oils is thought by aroma-therapy professionals to be THE most effective means of bolstering immune system function. Because the respiratory system is often the route of infection, inhalation is the best means to implement the cellular changes essential oils can create (one result of essential oil contact is a change in the electrical potential of cell walls, making it more difficult for pathogens to get inside the cells).
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
Essential oils are also very effective when topically applied — they readily pass through the skin and into the bloodstream. For this purpose, very simple blends of essential oils and carrier oils can be made. A carrier oil is just any “fixed” oil (one that does not easily evaporate) like Jojoba, Olive, Almond and the like. The dilutions are as follows: for application to the feet, use ten percent total essential oils in carrier, for other parts of the body and for a bath oil, use five percent. A soak in a warm tub, with your oil formula mixed in is an absolutely lovely way to gain all the benefits of the oils: they’re absorbing into the skin and evaporating from the surface for inhalation. For blending: a one-percent concentration is equal to eight drops of essential oil per fluid ounce of carrier oil — from there you can multiply up to whatever volume of blend you’d like to make. For children, cut these concentrations by half, for children under 7, in half again, and under 4 half again. Do not topically apply essential oils to children under two without consulting a professional or highly-knowledgeable practitioner for precise instructions.
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.
Choosing The Essential Oils
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.
Blending your own aromatic botanicals is a fun way to enhance your wellness. There are many wonderful books available to help you on your journey.
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