Home Remedies for Colds

Essential Oils for Viruses

Recently my entire family suffered from the same (clearly contagious) respiratory virus that left us all hacking up and blowing things out that I would prefer to leave to your imagination. I tried every remedy I knew how:

Rest
Drink coconut water and herbal teas
Stay hydrated
Eat ginger, garlic and broth based warm soups
Choose easy to digest foods
Take a decongestant

Though I was sure my attempts were most certainly not hurting my healing, the one thing that I know helped beyond a shadow of a doubt was my essential oils. These are the essential oils I tried, how I used them and why I chose each one for our respiratory crud.

Citrus Blend (orange & lemon) and Cinnamon Leaf

How I used it: Into my 24 ounce bottle of water I added about six to ten drops of citrus blended essential oils along with five to eight drops of cinnamon leaf oil. The taste of citrus and cinnamon is easier to digest than others with similar benefits (in my opinion). Why I chose this oil: Research supports that essential oils such as lemon, orange and cinnamon have antimicrobial and antiviral properties that can shorten the life of a cold or virus.

Peppermint and Lavender

How I used it: I combined about four to six drops each of peppermint and lavender oils with about an ounce of coconut oil. Then I rubbed about a quarter size amount of the concoction on my chest at night. The lavender helped me relax so that I could focus on taking deep intentional breaths as aid by the peppermint oil.Why I chose this oil: Comparatively, a lot of research has been done on peppermint essential oil, revealing its numerous benefits to ward and fight off cold, viruses, and respiratory ailments, and even decrease symptoms of asthma and IBS, both of which I also suffer from. Lavender is well known for its calming benefits. It also has antimicrobial and antiviral properties which certainly cannot hurt this respiratory ailment.

Frankincense and Turmeric Oil

How I used it: Using my essential oil diffuser, I dropped in about two to four drops each of frankincense and turmeric essential oil. I kept this combo going strong for a full 72 hours to help me breathe during the day and combat those unseen germs that I didn’t want to lingering in my home much longer.Why I chose this oil: Being an anti-fungal, antiviral and antimicrobial, frankincense is my go-to for cold and flu season mostly because I truly enjoy its scent when it’s diffused. Turmeric oil has been used medicinally for various reasons, so I chose to add it to my frankincense due to its immune-boosting, anti inflammatory and antiseptic properties.Click HERE to learn more about the Wellview services available to you. We can’t wait to work with you!