Essential Oils
Essential Oils for Sore Throat
Jan
More and more people are turning to essential oils to treat common ailments, and sore throats are no exception. While pharmacies are full of syrups and lozenges that can relieve a sore throat, the ingredients in this products often leave a lot to be desired.
The beauty of essential oils is that they're simple, natural, and can be just as effective as the products you buy at the pharmacy. You do need to be sure you're using the right oils to treat the right symptoms, though.
Not every essential oil will help a sore throat, and the ones that do help will work in different ways and offer different benefits. It's important to understand which oils are best for sore throats and how they help your sore throat.
What causes sore throats?
Sore throats can be caused by a variety of infections or allergies. Even dry air or irritants like smoke can cause a sore throat. It can also be something more serious, like strep throat. No matter the cause, essential oils can help relieve the symptoms.
The symptoms of a sore throat are caused by inflammation, which is an immune response in which your body sends extra white blood cells to the area to fight off infection or deal with foreign objects. This causes redness, swelling, pain and sometimes itching.
As more blood flow is directed to the affected area, the tissue swells because of the increased blood volume. The soreness and pain is both a direct result of the swelling and the result of you brain telling you there's a problem.
Inflammation can be very uncomfortable and it's often an unnecessary response from your immune system. Treating a sore throat by directly addressing the inflammation is one of the best ways to relieve pain and discomfort caused by sore throats.
Fortunately, many of the most popular essential oils are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that interfere with the bodies immune response just enough to provide some relief. Many others have strong pain-relieving effects, and others are powerful anti-bacterial or antiviral agents that can reduce the duration of your cold.
We've compiled this list of the best essential oils to use when treating a sore throat. Any of these oils or a combination of them will provide natural relief for sore throat symptoms.
Frankincense and Myrrh Essential Oil Combo
Frankincense and myrrh essential oils have several health benefits including: boosting immune system and relieving stress and anxiety.
Vivorific’s frankincense and myrrh essential oil combo is: 100% Pure and natural, free from fillers, additives and harmful chemicals, vegan and kosher certified and sealed with tamper evident closure and Euro style dropper cap.
The Best Essential Oils for Sore Throats
Frankincense
Frankincense has long been used for medicinal purposes. The aroma is soothing and can help to relieve anxiety and stress. Most relevant for sore throats, though, frankincense can help to relieve inflammation which, in turn, would help relieve the symptoms of a sore throat.
In fact, it's such an effective anti-inflammatory substance that it has been used to relieve arthritis pain in clinical trials. This Frankincense roll-on is a great way to apply high quality frankincense oil to help relieve sore throats. It's made from high-quality frankincense oil and coconut oil, which has its own impressive health benefits.
Peppermint
Peppermint is one of the oldest medicinal herbs in the world, and it's been used for centuries, likely longer, to treat all sorts of problems. Even today, we use menthol, derived from mint, to open clogged airways and soothe sinuses.
The aroma is incredibly soothing, and peppermint also has antimicrobial properties, which could be helpful if you're fighting off a cold. The menthol in peppermint creates a cooling sensation that can relieve the pain of a sore throat very effectively. This peppermint essential oil is made with only the best quality ingredients.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus has been an herbal treatment for treating coughs for a long time now. In fact, it's even one of the active ingredients in many popular cough suppressants. Excessive coughing can both cause and exacerbate a sore throat, so using eucalyptus oil can make a big difference.
It's also known to fight inflammation and soothe the mucus membranes in your nose and throat, which can provide instant relief for sore throats. It's antibacterial and antiviral properties can help to treat strep throat or the common cold, too. It also works as a muscle relaxer, and can relieve flu symptoms. This oil is a very good one, made from the best Australian eucalyptus leaves.
Juniper berry
Juniper berry is another strong anti-inflammatory agent, so it can directly reduce the symptoms of a sore throat. It also may have antibacterial and anti fungal properties, which could also help to treat sore throat. It's also widely considered a natural cleansing and detoxifying agent, which is a nice plus. Juniper blends particularly well with lavender to produce a great aroma, so that natural pairing would be a good choice.
Overall, juniper berry is a great essential oil for sore throats. This is one of the best juniper berry oils out there, because it's made with only the finest juniper berries.
Lavender
Lavender's most famous use is probably as a stress-reliever, but it has other uses too. It has strong antibacterial properties too, so it can help fight off infection. Some people report that aromatherapy with lavender can even reduce pain. Lavender blends very well with most other oils, too, so in addition to combining their health benefits you can get a lot of wonderful, customized scents too.
For sore throats, it's probably best to blend lavender with other essential oils like peppermint and frankincense to provide quick relief. This lavender oil is made with care, so it smells just like fresh lavender.
Ginger
Ginger is famous for its ability to help settle an upset stomach, and that's definitely true. It's also useful for treating a number of other health problems, including improving heart health, treating anxiety, and preventing dandruff. You can get all of these health benefits from eating ginger as a food or drinking it as a tea, but consuming it in the concentrated form of an essential oil makes those health benefits even more potent.
Like many of the other essential oils listed here, ginger also works as a strong anti-inflammatory substance. For sore throats, ginger can help reduce the inflammation causing them. If the sore throat is part of a larger illness, the other medicinal properties, like easing your nausea, are a nice bonus.
This ginger oil, made from the finest Chinese ginger, is an excellent choice.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil has several health benefits including: alleviating headaches and energizing the body.
Vivorific’s peppermint essential oil is: 100% Pure and natural, free from fillers, additives and harmful chemicals, vegan and kosher certified and sealed with tamper evident closure and Euro style dropper cap.
Lemon
Lemon is popular for a lot of reasons. It smell wonderful, supports the immune system, and can relieve stress. The calming properties of lemon oil can relax the muscles in your throat and relieve the discomfort of a sort throat. Lemon is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which gives your immune system a much-needed boost. The soothing aroma may help you fall asleep faster at night, as well.
Blending lemon and ginger oils together produces a classic cold-fighting combination that can really have you feeling better in no time. This oil is made from ripe lemons grown in Italy, and it has a delightful aroma that will fill the room.
Clove
Clove oil has been used as a natural painkiller for centuries, but that isn't why it helps sore throats. In fact, to use it as a painkiller you need to apply a lot of it directly to the area in pain, so that won't work well for sore throats at all. That's probably for the best; cloves have a very powerful flavor that only becomes more intense in the oil. Trying to apply it directly to the inside of your mouth and throat probably wouldn't be very pleasant. They smell great, though, which makes them a very popular essential oil.
What it will do is help to relieve coughing which, as we've already mentioned, can help a sore throat to heal faster. It also has strong antimicrobial properties, so it may reduce the severity of infection if that's the cause of your sore throat.
This oil, made from cloves grown in Italy, would be great blended with a little lemon oil and peppermint oil to relieve your sore throat.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil has some potential as an anti-inflammatory agent, but it also has strong antimicrobial properties that can help you to fight off infection. The aroma is very pleasant, too. It also helps to reduce coughing. Tea tree oil is one of the most popular essential oils in the world and it's used in all sorts of beauty products. Its external applications are well-known, but many people don't pay attention to its other benefits.
On its own, it can reduce your coughing and give your immune system a boost. Blended with other oils, though, it could be even better. Combining the benefits of tea tree with peppermint or frankincense can provide a lot of relief for sore throats. This oil is made from Chinese tea leaves, and is of the highest quality.
Basil
You may think of basil more as an ingredient to cook with. And by all means, do that- Basil is full of health benefits, and the more of it you consume in any form, the better. Basil has anti-inflammatory properties that can provide instant relief from a sore throat. It's sweet and spicy aroma is gentler than peppermint, so for those of you who find mint to be overpowering, Basil is a great choice.
It can also reduce pain and provide relief for your overall cold symptoms. Blend it with lemon and ginger to get truly incredible aroma along with the added health benefits. This basil oil is made from the best quality basil and made with no fillers.
Rosemary
Rosemary isn't widely known as a medicinal herb anymore, but in fact it's been a popular herbal remedy for a long time. It's been used as a natural pain reliever for centuries, and it has some anti-inflammatory properties as well.
It also smells great, especially when blended with other oils. Rosemary isn't quite as powerful as some of the other oils listed here, but it still has a lot to offer when it comes to sore throat treatment. This triple defense oil includes rosemary oil (along with lemon, clove, and eucalyptus oil) to create a potent immune system booster that can shorten the duration of your cold and relieve your sore throat.
Thyme
Yet another herb more famous for its properties as a cooking ingredient than as an herbal remedy, thyme shouldn't be overlooked. Thyme oil may help reduce coughing and treat the common cold. It also has antibacterial properties that can help reduce the duration of the common cold.
Thyme oil is best used for sore throats when blended with other oils like lemon and lavender oils. The combined therapeutic effects of these oils will provide quick and lasting relief for sore throats.
Conclusion
Essential oils can be an excellent and highly effective way of treating your sore throat symptoms. These all natural products provide relief without using harsh chemicals or synthetic ingredients, but you should be careful to buy from a reputable company that doesn't add other ingredients to its oils.
Vivorific adds no fillers and no synthetic ingredients to its oils. Their essential oils are all natural and pure, so you know you're getting a quality product when you buy from them.
Using any of the essential oils for sore throats that are listed here will provide relief, but you may want to consider buying two or more oils and blending. Not only does create incredible aromas, it allows you to combine the health benefits of multiples oils into one treatment.
Some of these oils come in the form of a roll-on stick, which is great if you have family members who don't want the whole house to smell you essential oils. Apply the roll-on to your chest and breathe in the all-natural goodness for as long as it lasts.
Most of the oils are meant to be used in a diffuser, though. If you find that this method isn't providing enough relief, you could try draping a towel over your head and standing directly above the diffuse to trap all the oil. Or, you can simply inhale the vapors directly from the bottle for a very powerful experience.
Any way you choose to use them, these oils will provide relief from your sore throat.
Do you have any additional tips on using essential oils for sore throat which were not mentioned in the blog post? Share them in the comments below.
