Aromatherapy to the Rescue!

Pure essential oils should always be part of your medicine chest. Today, I want to tell you about two oils which are good for sinus problems, Eucalyptus and Peppermint.

Both my husband, Tim and I have been fighting a cold/sinus thing since last Friday. Tim has been sicker than I have been so far. Yesterday, the cold started to settle in his sinuses after two days in the sneezing phase. To bring some quick relief, I put a drop of essential oil under his nose(right in the middle, it may sting a little if your nose is raw) and rubbed another drop into each of his temples, well back from his eyes. This helps to relieve the stuffy nose and the drops along the temple help to relieve the sinus headache and pressure. I use a cotton swab to apply the oil. If you use your finger, do NOT touch your eyes! You'll regret it! You can also add a few drops to a bowl of hot steaming water, lean over the bowl, and toss a towel over your head and the bowl to make a tent. The vapors should clear your head as you breathe deeply.

A few cautions for using Peppermint and Eucalyptus essential oils:

Don't use excessively. where a little is good, alot is NOT better. Both oils can irritate mucous membranes and skin. Avoid use during pregnancy and breast feeding. Do not take if using homeopathic remedies, as they can antidote your remedy.

Store your oils away from light, heat, flower essences and tinctures. I store all my oils together, away from everything else I use, and not in the bathroom.

While you can use either peppermint or eucalyptus, blending them both together is even better. You could also add rosemary, thyme and/or geranium oils, too. These added to either peppermint or eucalyptus are wonderful for healing. Make sure that you buy real essential oils, and not fragrance oils. These oils aren't very expensive(for essential oils), and you can find them at any food co-op. I have even seen decent oils at big-box drugstores. I like a product called "31 Herbal Oil", which is what it sounds like. It's a blend of 31 different essential oils. It's expensive, hard to find, but well worth it! It's made by SwissJust company. I saw it somewhere on-line not too long ago for about $50, for 1.7oz bottle. It's a good thing that a little goes a long way, and it lasts for years.

there are alot of great aromatherapy books out there. I'll post more about those later. To see a few listings, just click on one of the book covers in my section on the left labeled "My Library". To find out more about aromatherapy on the web, check out this site: http://www.aromaweb.com/default.asp