Last night I could barely sleep. My throat hurt and every time I started to get comfortable, I would start coughing and need to sit up.
So I pulled out my Vibrant Blue Oils and started to play. There is no better way to discover what really works then to crash test dummy yourself in the height of a health crisis.
As you may know, essential oils possess antimicrobial properties that may help boost the immune function, promote respiratory health and minimize the risk of viral or bacterial infections that may present as a sore throat or other cold and flu symptoms.
What is a Sore Throat?
A sore throat may be experienced as a scratchy, raspy, burning or painful feeling in the back of your throat that often worsens when you swallow or talk.
When the tissue lining your throat (mucosa) becomes inflamed and irritated from a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu. In addition to the soreness, you may have symptoms like a cough, runny nose or pain in your ears or down the side of your neck.
Symptoms of Sore Throat
Common symptoms of a sore throat may include:
- Pain or a scratchy sensation in the throat
- Difficulty swallowing
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Ear or Neck pain
- A hoarse or muffled voice
- Cough, sneezing, runny nose
How Essential Oils Help Alleviate Sore Throats
Essential oils, with their natural anti-inflammatory and decongestant properties, can help support your throat and improve your ability to breathe and swallow easily.
Essential oils contain expectorant properties that can help de-congest and calm an irritated respiratory tract and support mucous drainage from your ears, nose and throat. Expectorants help expel mucus out of your body and support your respiratory detoxification.
In particular, eucalyptus oil possesses potent antibacterial, antiseptic, expectorant, and decongestant that can help clear mucus from your throat that may contribute to the feeling of a sore throat. Peppermint essential oil possesses expectorant qualities that may also help support upper-respiratory congestion, caused by asthma, bronchitis, allergies, cold, or flu.
Eucalyptus radiata can be used independently or as part of the Breathe™ blend to help soothe a sore throat and calm bronchial spasms that can result in coughing fits. Since eucalyptus oil can be “hot,” meaning it can cause a hot or warming sensation when applied to the skin, including causing the skin to turn red, I recommend you dilute more aggressively with a carrier oil.
Moreover, essential oils can increase circulation and blood flow to the throat which may help to expedite healing. For example, essential oils can help relax and improve the health of your blood vessels, helping more blood circulate through them, improving your circulation, and increasing oxygen levels.
Essential Oils to Alleviate Sore Throat Symptoms
My primary symptoms were sore throat, coughing and sneezing – the oils that helped the most were:
1. Breathe™
Breathe™ opens and soothes the airways and tissues of the respiratory system. It also reduces inflammation to support and relieve congestion, colds, flu, bronchitis, coughs, sore throats, sinus infections, pneumonia and asthma. This immediately soothed my sore throat.
Breathe™ blend contains three different types of Eucalyptus oil, a potent antiseptic, expectorant and decongestant that can help clean and strengthen the lungs. Breathe™ also contains Peppermint™ essential oil whose expectorant qualities may help support upper respiratory congestion.
To use, apply 1-2 drops topically on throat and upper chest (Breathe™ contains a lot of hot oils and can turn the skin red. Therefore, we recommend diluting with castor oil, coconut oil or olive oil before topical application). Breathe™ can also be inhaled using steam inhalation (Place 2-3 cups boiling water + 5 drops of Breathe™ in a bowl, cover your head with a towel, close eyes and bring face close to the bowl and gently inhale the steam) or used with a hot wet towel compress to the throat area.
2. Immune Support™
This “hot” essential oil blend can immediately reduce cold and flu symptoms. Rub a few drops on the bottom of the feet or dilute and apply over the throat to support the immune system. I could feel this one working, especially in the middle of the night when the sore throat seemed to reach its painful peak.
Immune Support™ blend builds on the popular immune-fighting essential oil formula known as “Thieves,” which traces its origins to the bubonic plague. During this time, thieves stole the gold teeth out of the mouths of the dead. When apprehended, they were offered a lesser sentence in exchange for sharing how they avoided the illness.
Their secret was this blend of hot antiviral essential oils—including 13 organic and/or wild-crafted essential oils of Frankincense™, Clove Buds, Cinnamon Bark, Lemon™, Eucalyptus citridora, Ajowan, Thyme, Orange™, Oregano, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Mandarin, and Ginger Root—that strengthen the immune system against sore throats, infections, viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, and microbes.
Heat, including heat from hot essential oils, makes antiviral and antibacterial immune responses more efficient. Much of your body’s immune response, including antiviral and antibacterial immune responses, is designed to respond to a heightened body temperature. A fever-range temperature also allows your body to better remember germs it’s exposed to, making it stronger at fighting them off in the future.
Essential oils can safely bring the body’s internal temperature to 102°F, mimicking some of the significant immunity benefits of a fever. Heat helps kill the viruses, which is one reason warm remedies, like chicken soup or hot tea, are given when we are sick.
Moreover, research found that essential oils high in eugenol, like cinnamon and clove, gave the most protection against viruses. Similarly, oregano contains carvacrol and rosmarinic acid compounds that are natural decongestants and histamine reducers and have direct, positive benefits on the respiratory tract and nasal passage airflow.
To prevent a sore throat or respiratory illness or nip it in the bud once it starts, apply Immune Support™ 2-3 times daily on the throat (diluted) or the bottom of the feet. To keep the family healthy, rub the oil on the bottom of the feet before bed (kids can even be asleep when you apply it).
3. Sinus Support™
Sinus Support™ blend helps clear the blockages that could be lining the walls of your nasal passages and throat. Sinus Support™ works as a local decongestant that breaks up mucus, stimulates drainage of the nose and sinuses, and relieves head pressure.
Sinus Support™ is designed for aromatic and topical use. If used topically, we recommend applying 2–3 drops to a cotton swab and swabbing the inside of the nasal passages 2–6 times daily. For optimal effectiveness, you can leave the cotton swab in the nasal passage for up to 20 minutes. Try to relax and focus on breathing through the nose. This helps to open sinus passageways and is the first step toward sinus health.
4. Lymph™
Lymph drainage to the neck and face helps to decongest the painful swelling in the sinus mucous membranes and nasal cavity. It also increases the rate at which pathogens are filtered through the neck’s lymph nodes.
Congestion or inflammation of any part of the neck—including the veins, lymphatic tissue, or vagus nerve—can compromise sinus drainage. Your lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump, and lymphatic fluid can accumulate and stagnate.
Applying 2-3 drops of Lymph™ over the clavicles and along the sides of the neck immediately helped alleviate throat and ear discomfort. Lymph™ blend is designed for liberal usage.
5. Fascia Release™
Applying Fascia Release™ blend liberally around the throat and neck provided almost immediate relief from throat pain and coughing.
Your lymphatic network is located within your fascia, right under the skin. The fascial system is essentially a glide system, and your lymphatic system is designed to glide within it. Supporting the fascia helps support healthy lymph flow by helping to squeeze the lymphatic vessels and push the lymph through the system, which helps support sinus drainage and throat discomfort.
The essential oils in the Fascia Release™ blend are uniquely formulated to unravel deeply held tensions, constrictions and energetic blockages in your tissues to reduce pain, improve blood and lymphatic circulation and release fear, repressed emotions, and tension held in the body (organs, muscles, tendons, bones and joints) or the mind.
6. Sovereign Tea™
I do not normally advise ingesting essential oils, but this blend contains powerful antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties that help support respiratory health and immune barrier protection.
More specifically, essential oils derived from evergreen trees or shrubs with scale-like leaves or needles and seed-bearing cones (known as Conifers) like pine, spruce, cedar, and fir have been shown to calm inflammation, stress and depression, pain, and respiratory infections.
Native Americans recognized and used pine for its antibacterial, expectorant, and decongestant qualities. The Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World records how “pine has been used as a cough and cold treatment, as a decongestant, and as an expectorant,” noting that pine serves as an astringent to stop internal bleeding, due in part to its tannin content of 10 percent, which is believed to make it a good “chemical hemostat”, or a surgical tool used in many surgical procedures to control bleeding.
We recommend adding 2–4 drops of the Sovereign Tea™ blend to 1/3 c. hot water. Pause to inhale the steam and aroma. Slowly drink the Sovereign Tea™.
Featured Oils:
- Breathe™ available here
- Peppermint™ available here
- Immune Support™ available here
- Frankincense™ available here
- Lemon™ available here
- Orange™ available here
- Sinus Support™ available here
- Lymph™ available here
- Fascia Release™ available here
- Sovereign Tea™ available here
