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Ease Coughs, Colds and Sore Throats with Essential Oils

Colds and flu come with winter (pic via thepaintedskin.com)

Ah yes the dreaded lurgy has got me.

First – not feeling so great.

Then – a congested throat.

Then – a sore throat and headache.

Then – can’t move a muscle lying in bed.

Then – coughing and a couple more days in bed.

I confess I used some cold and flu tablets to ease the symptoms one day, but it’s the use of essential oils that can make you feel a bit better too.

My top 4 are Lavender, Marjoram, Fennel, and Eucalyptus

Try these simple and effective ways to help with the symptoms of a cold.

Lavender

lovely lavender

By now you’ll know I use Lavender for lots of things and we all know through the traditional uses for lavender over the centuries are those for soothing and relieving pain.

1. A few drops on a cold compress on the forehead can give some relief for general sickness and of course a headache and head tension due to coughing.

compress on forehead – easy and effective

2. A couple of drops in a steam inhalation for a sore throat (breathe through your mouth) and headaches.

steam inhalation

3. A few drops in a bath to relieve muscle tension.

4. A drop on the temples to bring a sense of relief.

5. Nourishing oil blend for aches and pains in the body – 7 drops in 3 teaspoons of a carrier oil like olive, almond or sunflower.

6. A couple of drops externally on the throat to help with symptoms of a sore throat and sore muscle from coughing.

****** Always remember to smell the oils too, as this will help the brain receive information from the oil and translate it into action.

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Marjoram

Marjoram – another great herb from the same family as lavender

Marjoram is also an age-old remedy for many ailments. It’s particularly good for muscle pain and easing a cough.

1. A couple of drops in a steam inhalation for a cough (breathe through your mouth). This will not stop the cough if your lungs are infected as the cough’s purpose will be to rid the lungs of mucous. This works better for a dry cough and ticklish throat.

2. A few drops in a bath to relieve muscle tension.

3. Nourishing oil blend for aches and pains in the body – 7 drops in 3 teaspoons of a carrier oil like olive, almond or sunflower.

4. 4 drops marjoram and 3 drops lavender in 3 teaspoons of carrier oil specifically to use externally on your throat as a pain reliever.

Mix lavender and marjoram for a synergistic formula to help with aches and pains either in a bath or oil blend. They work well together for coughs too.

****** Always remember to smell the oils too, as this will help the brain receive information from the oil and translate it into action.

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Fennel

fennel flower

I recently wrote about fennel as it’s a great oil for winter. It’s warming and soothing and helps nurture you in the cold.

Fennel works best as a decongestant for the lungs so if you have a weird taste in your mouth when you cough, chances are sometime soon you may be coughing up green stuff. Fennel is the oil to get it moving and also works well with marjoram and lavender.

1. A couple of drops in a steam inhalation for a congested chest (breathe through your mouth).

2. A couple of drops externally on the throat to help with symptoms of a cough and to move the mucous.

3. Nourishing oil blend for aches and pains in the body – 7 drops in 3 teaspoons of a carrier oil like olive, almond or sunflower. Mix fennel with lavender in this case to help your chest – 4 drops of fennel and 3 drops of lavender.

****** Always remember to smell the oils too, as this will help the brain receive information from the oil and translate it into action.

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Eucalyptus

eucalyptus globulus

THE oil for breaking down mucous!

1. A couple of drops in a steam inhalation for a congested chest (breathe through your mouth) and congested sinuses (breathe through your nose).

steam inhalation

2. As a treatment for you in your space – simply add about 15 drops to a large bowl of boiling water (like you would with a steam inhalation) and bring it into your bedroom while you rest in bed. Or in the lounge room while you’re on the couch. This is an easy one if you are by yourself as it doesn’t take too much effort.

You can use all the oils above in this way and of course put them in a vapouriser – eucalyptus oil working particularly well as a decongestant. Plus it’s refreshing and you can almost feel it doing you good. Some bush healing never goes astray.

I could talk about other oils too but if in doubt, or if you only have one oil, use lavender.

absolutely stunning lavender fields via reddit.com

REST and lots of fluids too will help move the infection through your body and check out these articles for blending ratios too –  “Ratios for Blending Essential Oils – A Reminder of the Basics” and “Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 1 2 3”.