Essential oils for colds

Why not instead of tablets - with fever, headache, sneezing, cold, which manifests itself as an acute respiratory infection - do not try to use natural remedies with medicinal properties that have essential oils for colds or flu.

Such treatment is considered to be an alternative, but its usefulness is obvious, and possible side effects occur much less often than from synthetic drugs.

How to "oil" a cold?

When we feel a cold illness, in the first place, in the course are various teas from the common cold. Known to all alternative means will come to the rescue with a cold, as well as if pershit in the throat or cough begins. Quite quickly to cope with these symptoms, many help milk with oil for colds or milk with honey and oil for a cold with a cough.

By the way, in this case it is better to add to the milk not the usual butter, but cocoa butter for colds. Due to the theobromine, a methylxanthine alkaloid contained in it, it is possible to weaken the cough, avoiding complications in the form of inflammation of the bronchi.

But here, containing the vitamins-antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids, sea buckthorn oil for colds - in the form of inhalations - from coughing does not help: it is recommended to use in the treatment of tonsillitis or pharyngitis. 

The main indications for the use of sea buckthorn oil: burns, frostbite, bedsores, erosion of the cervix, skin damage by ionizing radiation, also it is used in the complex therapy of stomach and duodenal ulcers.

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Use of essential oils for colds

All essential oils are of vegetable origin and are based on esters, in which molecules contain hydrocarbon radicals and oxygen. These are derivatives of carboxylic acids and phenol, aliphatic alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, as well as a large class of isoprene compounds in the form of terpenes and terpenoids, which contain carbon atoms and fragments of isoprene - a phytogenic unsaturated diene hydrocarbon released by plants that protect plants from negative environmental factors .

The use of essential oils for colds is due to the fact that most of these substances have pronounced therapeutic properties. Enumerate these substances would have to be long enough, because there are a lot of them, for example, in essential oil of tea tree or peppermint contains almost one hundred components. True, the pharmacodynamics of biologically active components, like their pharmacodynamics, are not described, but only their inherent properties are indicated, including: antibacterial and antiviral, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, vasoconstrictive and spasmolytic.

Most commonly used are essential oils for colds, like eucalyptus, fir, juniper, rosemary; tea tree oil; oils of oregano, thyme (thyme), peppermint and lemon mint; camphor oil.

Thus, the antiseptic and bronchodilator effect due to which eucalyptus oil is widely used in the form of steam inhalations for colds with cough is provided by monocyclic terpenic cineol (it accounts for about 72% of the composition), monoterpene pinene and terpenic ketone, such as piperitone lower respiratory tract). And the anti-inflammatory effect of this essential oil is terpene alcohol citronellol, cyclic monoterpenes (fellandrenes) and aldehyde citral. For more details, see the publication -  Eucalyptus oil, which details how you can treat this oil with cold coryza and how to do inhalation properly.

In the composition of the essential oil of tea tree (which, like the eucalyptus is included in the botanical family Myrtaceae), there is also cineole; In addition, it contains a mixture of many monoterpenes with antiseptic and analgesic properties and sesquiterpene lactone, karyophyllene, a strong antimicrobial and antiviral substance. Caryophyllene content explains the strong antibacterial effect, which is exerted by fir oil for colds and ARVI.

It has been known for a long time that many of the essential oils from cold cause their medicinal properties due to the presence of phenolic derivatives (monoterpene phenols). For example, thyme oil (thyme) and oregano are rich in thymol and carvacrol. A camphor oil - except for carvacrol - contains terpene ketone camphor; terpenes (camphene, pineny, limonene); alpha-terpineol; terpenic alcohols-antiseptics bisabolol and borneol. In sufficient quantities there is borneel in oils of fir, thyme and oregano.

Menthol, also referred to monoterpene alcohols, is one of the main components of  peppermint oil  (menthol oil); it acts as a local anesthetic (irritating cutaneous thermoreceptors) and narrows the capillaries of the skin. In addition, in mint oil there are phellandrenes and pinenes, piperitone and menthyl acetate.

Despite the diverse composition, cumin oil for colds is used extremely rarely: it is used, mainly, for problems with digestion and increased gassing in the intestine, to relieve spasms in the digestive tract.

Oils for colds for children

It should be borne in mind that there are certain age limits on essential oils for colds for children: up to the age of two, menthol and camphor oils are not used; up to six years - eucalyptus and tea tree; Before the child reaches the youngest adolescence, you should not experiment with oregano oil.

However, menthol and eucalyptus oil are included in some outdoor products recommended for colds in children. More information can be found in the article -  Ointment for colds in children: rub or not to grind?

How to use essential oils for colds

There are several methods of using essential oils for colds and SARS: in the form of aromatherapy, steam and spray inhalations, rinses, rubbing and bathing.

If the evaporation of essential oils of tea tree, juniper or rosemary in the room is more suitable for the prevention of the spread of rhinovirus, the inhalation method is aimed at combating many symptoms of acute respiratory diseases.

Eucalyptus oil for colds is most often used for steam inhalations with a cough - a maximum of 7 drops per 200-250 ml of hot water, and also for gargling - three to four drops per half a cup of water.

Dosage of oils during inhalations (per procedure): fir oil - three drops; tea tree or thyme - two drops; oil with menthol (peppermint) - three to four drops; oregano - no more than two or three drops.

By the way, oil with menthol for colds helps to cope with a headache, for which it is enough to rub one drop in whiskey.

It is recommended to make a mixture of essential oils from colds (for inhalations), for example, two drops of eucalyptus and tea tree oil, or three drops of eucalyptus and peppermint oil, or five drops of eucalyptus oil and one drop of thyme oil (or oregano).

It can help improve the condition and the oil bath with colds, but it can be taken only at normal body temperature. For baths, take, for example, tea tree oil and mix with a tablespoon of refined vegetable oil in the proportion: for every 12 drops of vegetable one drop of essential oil. You can mix essential oil (8-10 drops) with several tablespoons of milk or with saline solution, and then add to the bath.

Use during pregnancy

Tea tree oil, peppermint and thyme, as well as camphor oil, can not be used throughout the gestation period. And oil with menthol for colds - even during lactation.

In the first and second trimesters, essential oils of oregano and fir are forbidden.

Contraindications for use

Any essential oil should not be used in the treatment of colds and other diseases in the presence of individual hypersensitivity, which in some cases can reach complete intolerance.

Contraindications to the use of eucalyptus and fir oils include arterial hypertension, epilepsy and severe renal failure. In addition, fir oil should not be used for angina pectoris and the presence of a history of myocardial infarction.

A tea tree oil is contraindicated for low blood pressure and vascular dystonia.

Menthol and peppermint oil are not recommended for those who suffer from insomnia, as well as spasms of bronchial tubes and hay fever.

In the presence of epilepsy and habitual cramps, it is not safe to use camphor oil, and cardiac problems, in particular, arrhythmia and cardiac ischemia, impose a strict ban on the use of essential oils of thyme and oregano.

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Side effects

As a rule, side effects of these essential oils are manifested by allergy and irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. And camphor oil, in addition, can lead to skin hyperemia, bronchospasm and tachycardia.

Overdose

Exceeding the dose of any essential oil can cause increased side effects and lead to nausea.

Interactions with other drugs

Information on the interaction of essential oils with other drugs is limited, but the general recommendation concerns their ability to reduce the therapeutic effect of homeopathic remedies.

Storage conditions

Optimum storage conditions of essential oils: away from light sources, at room temperature.

Shelf life

The package of essential oils indicates the expiration date, which, usually, does not exceed two to three years (since their release).

Mahold's oils for cold: what is it?

Maholda's cold medicinal oils are a mixture of essential oils for inhalation (respiratory tract, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses) using a special inhaler of the Makhold.

The mixture of oils includes essential oils of eucalyptus, cedar, rosemary, mint and tea tree. It is indicated that this mixture can not be used in the treatment of pregnant women and children under 12 years of age.

Using essential oils for cold and flu, as the reviews show, you can not only completely natural way to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, but also to stimulate the immune system, as well as prevent respiratory viruses from staying in your house.