What are essential oils and why do they help our immune system?
As nature’s defence mechanism against mould, fungus, viruses and bacteria these highly concentrated pure extracts from plants (flowers, leaves, roots, resin, grasses, citrus peels) extracted through steam distillation and cold-pressing (citrus oils) when used can give us similar health benefits for our bodies.
As the seasons change, our bodies may need additional support to stay healthy. ESSENTIAL OILS are unique in their ability to naturally assist our immune systems: killing pathogens, increasing white blood cell activity and increasing our cellular tolerance to pathogens and toxins.
Essential oils are lipid based and this means they can penetrate the body’s cell membranes protecting cells from impurities and threats that reside on the inside as well as outside of the cell walls. It’s worth noting that antibiotics as they’re water-based cannot penetrate the body’s cells hence, this is why this type of medicine cannot cure a virus.
Essential oils address the problems rather than masking symptoms and their side effects are positive ones! A rule of thumb to remember is; “less is more”. As 50-70 times more potent than herbs they are extremely potent, putting it into perspective one drop of peppermint oil is the equivalent to 28 cups of tea!
When immunity weakens which essential oils can we use?
| Infection: | bergamot, cajeput, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lavender, spike lavender, lemon, lemongrass, niaouli, oregano, pine, rosemary, melaleuca, thyme |
| Tissue inflammation: | German chamomile, clove, cinnamon, ginger, lavender, nutmeg, thyme, yarrow |
| Fever: | cinnamon, eucalyptus, ginger, peppermint |
| Allergies: | German and Roman chamomile, lavender, yarrow |
| Candida: | bergamot, German chamomile, lavender, lemongrass, melissa, rosemary, melaleuca |
| Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): | basil, geranium, lavender, lemon, orange, rosemary |
As an aside, interestingly, plant medicine such as essential oils is often the inspiration for synthetically produced pharmaceutical products. Similar to synthetic drugs they are known to come without negative side effects; consider how long the list of possible side effects is on the “Important Information” leaflet that comes with medication. I can remember reading the possible side effects sheet on a packet of antidepressants several years ago and decided I just couldn’t risk taking them, I was already feeling a tad wobbly and the “risks” put me right off. At that time I opted for CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) a talking therapy; this helped me feel better and put my mind straight, which in turn allowed me to feel good I was doing something positive for myself. Today though, if I was to find myself feeling “low/depressed” having many tools to choose from to lift my mood, smelling an essential oil is now top of my list, there’s so many to choose from!
If you’d like to find out more about essential oils, perhaps you’d like to come to an essential oil class, 2017 dates and details can be found here or just get in touch… I can talk for hours on the subject!