Benefits of Using Essential Oils To Treat a Cold

Sometimes you catch a cold that you just can’t kick. Even your bathroom cabinet full of over-the-counter medicines is no match for the coughing and nasal congestion that is making you miserable and keeping you up all night. The good news is that there is a natural alternative to consider. Essential oils can decrease the length of your cold and even eliminate some of the common symptoms. 

What Are Essential Oils?

Young Living Essential Oils and other essential oil products are made from natural compounds that are harvested from plants, trees and herbs. These extracts are distilled or cold pressed for their aromatic essence. They support physical and mental health in a variety of ways, including for the treatment of a cold. 

Which Essential Oils To Use To Treat a Cold

There are several essential oil aromatherapy options that you can use to treat cold and flu symptoms. 

1. Bergamot Oil

Bergamot oil offers a citrus flavor rich in antioxidant properties. Short sessions using it have been linked to decreasing cortisol, an immune system suppressant. By reducing stress hormones, you are making yourself less vulnerable to colds and other illnesses.

2. Cinnamon Oil

Cinnamon is well known for its distinctly aromatic bark and leaves. Although its reputation precedes itself in the kitchen, it also possesses the ability to fend off a cold with its polyphenols. These micronutrients pack an antioxidant punch to virus-causing germs.  

3. Clary Sage Oil

Clary sage is part of the Salvia family from the Mediterranean. This perennial shrub’s herbal, grassy scent promotes relaxation and sleep, and getting the proper amount of rest is crucial to overcoming a cold.

4. Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil is kind of like that friend who you call whenever you need help with a house project, car repair or personal issue. It can do a little bit of everything:

• Relieve joint aches and pains associated with a cold
• Heal cold sores developed from stress or illness
• Reduce and loosen mucus to help you breathe easier
• Ease coughing fits that result from postnatal drip 

5. Geranium Oil

Geranium oil, commonly imported from Africa or Madagascar, is extracted from a plant that grows up to five feet tall. Its floral, rosy smell can help suppress coughing.

6. Peppermint Oil

The menthol in peppermint oil helps to relieve nasal congestion that occurs during a cold. It also has properties linked to reducing fever.

7. Oregano Oil 

Oregano is often recognized for the flavor it can add to your food. However, this Western Asia flower shrub, which is a member of the mint family, also works to give your immune system an antimicrobial boost that can help you to fight off the germs that cause colds.

8. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is extracted from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a tree native to Australia. Its antiviral, antimicrobial and antifungal components protect against sinus infections. 

How To Use Essential Oils

It is important to make sure that you have done your research and know the effects of any essential oils that you are considering. This is especially true for the treatment of a child, in which case you should first consult with a healthcare professional.

There are a couple of effective ways that you can get essential oils into your system to help fight off that cold.

• An aromatherapy diffuser disperses the chosen fragrance into the air and the surrounding area. Diffusers work by heating, nebulizing or evaporating the essential oils.
• You can also apply the essential oil topically, but you want to make sure that you are taking the proper precautions to first dilute it with a carrier oil. Some examples of carrier oils are grapeseed, coconut and olive.

Fighting off a cold does not have to be a lengthy and miserable process. Essential oils are a natural remedy that will treat your symptoms, help you regain your health and have you back on your feet again in no time.