If you’re like most people, you have a medicine cabinet that’s bursting with bottles and tubes of over-the-counter and prescription medications. In what many experts describe as an over-medicated society, most Americans have a medication for every kind of symptom. But, just how safe are these medications?
Thanks to a tremendous amount of government-funded clinical studies, we now know that essential oils can successfully take the place of many potentially-dangerous medications. Researchers have found that the chemical compounds found in essential oils contain healing properties that effectively treat ailments just like popular drugs. However, essential oils are often remarkably safer thanks to the fact that they are derived exclusively from plants.
If you’re looking to live more holistically, it’s time to learn about how essential oils can treat every ailment that you may have. By relying on these safe, natural and amazingly affordable products, your health will improve dramatically and you won’t find yourself dealing with scary side effects and dependency issues.
Of course, it must be stated that you should talk to your doctor before using any essential oils to treat a health ailment. Our list below is based on clinical studies that have proven the effectiveness of these oils when used to treat illnesses, disorders and other health problems of all kinds.
How to Use Essential Oils Instead of Popular Medications
1. Ditch the Anti-Anxiety Drugs and Turn to Aromatherapy for a Calm and Clear Mind
About one in four Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder. Unlike stress, anxiety is a mood disorder that is recognized in the psychiatric world. Those who suffer from anxiety often struggle to live normal lives because they are overwhelmed by an overbearing sense of doom and fearfulness.
Often, anxiety patients are given benzodiazepines by their doctor or psychologist. These drugs have been used to treat anxiety for decades. These drugs are also notoriously addictive. Withdrawal from these drugs can cause seizures and even death. Additionally, some studies have found that brain damage is a side effect of taking these medications over a long period of time (source).
If you want to treat anxiety in a safe and natural way, aromatherapy is your best bet. Many essential oils have anti-anxiety properties that can dramatically reduce your symptoms. Simply inhaling these oils can slow down the nervous system and improve your overall state of mind.
Among the most popular essential oils for anxiety is lavender oil. Studies have tested this oil extensively on anxiety patients. It’s no surprise that lavender oil, with its calming and soothing scent, can be found in a wide variety of bath products and household sprays (source).
Lavender essential oil can stop an anxiety attack dead in its tracks. When inhaled, it quickly lowers one’s heart rate and breath rate. It also stimulates the release of calming chemicals in the brain, helping to slow down racing thoughts while promoting feelings of well-being.
Another essential oil that is renowned for its sedative properties is sandalwood oil. In one study, patients who were about to go into surgery were administered the oil via inhalation. Researchers tested their nervous systems before and after inhaling the oil. The study found that patients who inhaled sandalwood oil had lower heart rates than those who did not. The patients also communicated to the researchers that they felt more calm after inhaling the oil (source).
How to Use it
If you want to test these oils’ anti-anxiety effects, try pouring a few drops of each oil into an oil diffuser when you’re feeling anxious. Allow the scented vapor to fill the room and take long, slow breaths. Within about ten minutes, you should feel incredibly calm.
2. Treat Pain Quickly and Naturally without NSAIDs and Opioids
NSAIDs can be found in almost every single household across the country. These medications lower inflammation, allowing pain to heal quickly. For many people, these medications are totally harmless. However, if they’re taken too frequently, in large doses or with certain other substances, these drugs can be dangerous.
Thankfully, almost every essential oil contains high levels of anti-inflammatory activity. Many of these oils are potent enough to treat inflammation when simply massaged into the skin or inhaled. These methods eliminate the risk of overdose as well as most side effects.
Rosemary essential oil is especially powerful when it comes to treating inflammation. In one study, mice were given both codeine and rosemary. Researchers compared the two substances’ effects on pain caused by inflammation. The researchers determined that rosemary essential oil profoundly reduces inflammation when applied topically to the affected area. In fact, the oil treats pain more quickly than oral medications because of how quickly it absorbs through the skin and permeates the affected tissue (source).
Another essential oil that is known for its anti-inflammatory superpowers is sandalwood oil. In fact, the oil has been used as an anti-inflammatory medication in India for centuries (source).
There are also several essential oils that have analgesic properties. Like prescription opioids, these oils work by blocking the brain’s ability to perceive pain. Now, everyone knows that prescription opioids aren’t exactly safe. For many people, small daily doses quickly lead to a crippling addiction that can ruin one’s life. It’s also very easy to overdose on these drugs, especially when they are combined with other substances such as alcohol.
Clove essential oil is incredibly high in analgesic activity. One study found that the oil can numb pain when applied topically to the teeth of dental patients. Eugenol, the oil’s main chemical compound, can stop pain on contact (source).
Another pain-busting essential oil is peppermint oil. The oil is high in both anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The oil’s ability to kill pain has to do with the high level of menthol found in the oil. When applied to the affected area, it will numb the pain and cool the skin while quickly reducing inflammation. In fact, menthol is found in many topical pain relievers because of its incredible ability to treat pain effectively.
How to Use it
When using essential oils to treat pain, it’s best to apply them topically to the affected area. You can make a pain-relieving massage oil by combining a three cups of a thin carrier oil like olive oil and about twenty drops each of the essential oils listed above. Whenever you’re feeling pain, you can massage this oil into the skin of the affected area several times each day.
3. Stop Guzzling Cough Syrup and Use Natural Essential Oils to Soothe Your Throat
If the first thing that you reach for when you feel a cold coming on is a bottle of cough syrup from the local pharmacy, it’s time to change your ways. Cough syrups are often loaded with sugar and artificial flavors that can actually increase inflammation. Plus, many popular cough syrup products are dangerous when taken in large quantities.
There is a wide variety of essential oils that can take care of a sore throat, excessive phlegm and a pesky cough. All of these symptoms are caused by inflammation. As we stated earlier, most essential oils possess high anti-inflammatory activity.
Frankincense essential oil is often used around the world to treat a sore throat and cough. The oil can reduce inflammation quickly when inhaled through the nose. It will also soothe the irritation that causes that dry cough that can last for weeks.
Clove and peppermint essential oils can also dramatically reduce those dreaded symptoms. Their analgesic properties can actually numb and cool irritated throat tissue, helping you tremendously by eliminating the need to cough in the first place.
Both eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils also drastically reduce congestion when inhaled. In fact, these two oils are often found in commercial decongestant products. They have the ability to loosen phlegm on contact, making it much easier to breathe.
How to Use it
When you’re feeling the symptoms of throat inflammation, take out your oil diffuser and pour into it four or five drops each of frankincense, eucalyptus, peppermint and clove essential oils. Then, fill the rest of the tank with water. Plug the diffuser into a nearby outlet and sit within five feet of the diffuser for at least a half hour, taking deep breaths.
If you don’t own an oil diffuser, you can add about ten drops of each of the essential oils listed above to a hot bath.
4. Say Goodbye to Sleeping Pills and Fall Asleep Naturally with Aromatherapy
Sleep disorders affect people of all ages. The inability to sleep soundly each night can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. Many people use sleeping pills each night in order to experience restful slumber. These pills, however, can be deadly if taken in large doses. They can also cause side effects like drowsiness, dizziness and depression.
For thousands of years, people have used aromatherapy to achieve restorative sleep. There are many essential oils that help people fall asleep naturally. Frankincense essential oil, for example, acts as a sedative, slowing down one’s breathing and heart rate so that they may fall asleep quickly.
Lavender essential oil is also widely used for its sleep-inducing effects. Many studies have proven that lavender oil is a safe and highly effective sleep aid. In fact, many natural sleep products contain lavender essential oil (source).
Cedarwood essential oil is another sleep-inducing essential oil. When inhaled, it actually stimulates the secretion of a hormone that a person naturally releases as they are falling asleep.
How to Use it
To treat a sleep disorder with aromatherapy, you can pour about five drops each of cedarwood, lavender and frankincense essential oils into a spray bottle that can hold about ten ounces of liquid. Then, fill the rest of the spray bottle with water. Before going to bed each night, spray your pillow liberally with this mixture of sleep-inducing essential oils.
5. Stop Relying on Antibiotics and Kill Bacterial Infections Naturally
More and more studies are finding that the over-prescribing of antibiotics is leading to a new generation of drug-resistant bacteria. Because doctors give out prescriptions for antibiotics so liberally, many people develop a resistance to dangerous diseases. Another problem with antibiotics is that they can dramatically throw off the balance of healthy bacteria within the intestines, leading to digestive disorders of all kinds.
Luckily, most essential oils have the ability to kill a wide array of bacterial infections. In one study, researchers found that a combination of basil and rosemary essential oils can kill potentially-deadly strains of bacteria like E. coli (source). Other essential oils like lavender, orange and lemon can treat most bacterial infections (source).
How to Use it
To treat a bacterial infection within the body using essential oils, you can fill a glass with water and add one drop each of lavender, basil and rosemary oils. This can be consumed once each day. To treat bacterial infections of the skin with essential oils, you can dip a cotton swab into a blend of these three essential oils and then dab it directly onto the affected area.
Summary
Now that you know about the incredible healing properties found within popular essential oils, you can treat a variety of health ailments without worrying about all of those side effects. These affordable oils can treat everything from anxiety disorders to bacterial infections safely and naturally.
