Aromatherapy and Respiratory Diseases

Essential Oils as Cold Prevention

Whether we like it or not, it’s starting to get quite cold and damp. And this can be quite a shock for our bodies. Although the organism would like to adapt gradually, this year it didn’t really get the chance for a gentle transition. The slowly shortening days urge us to prepare our bodies for winter not only with proper detoxification. We increasingly reach for an aroma lamp or a diffuser. Not only for relaxation, but also to effectively support the immune system. Essential oils are really good supporters of the body's defenses, whether mental or physical. Because one goes hand in hand inseparably with the other.

Which Essential Oils Support Immunity?

For immune support, it’s better to start with milder essential oils. You definitely shouldn’t overdo it. You can either drop them into a diffuser or aroma lamp and let them evaporate, or mix a massage oil which you can also apply as cold prevention once a week. Diffusion to support immunity is enough three times a week. For adults, a maximum of one hour per day (twice for thirty minutes), for children twice a day for fifteen minutes. Supporting immunity with essential oils is really easy. If you add one of the citrus oils (mandarin, orange, bergamot) to a diffuser for children, you will also support their wellbeing during homework. Citrus oils are great for supporting the immune system not only for children but also for adults. They have mild antibacterial properties. The only thing to watch out for is that some of them thin the blood.

Which Essential Oils to Choose for Colds in Children?

For very young children, it is better to use hydrolates. Hydrolates contain 1% water-soluble aromatic molecules, which are obtained during the distillation of the essential oil. They are gentle yet effective and you don't have to worry about harming your child with improper dosing or lack of knowledge of contraindications. They are suitable for children practically from birth up to five years of age. You can safely pour them into a diffuser with a nebulizer and let them evaporate. Lemon balm, lavender or chamomile help in cold prevention. In case of an established cold, you can use lemon balm combined with lavender.

If you have a toddler at home, from two years you can use very low doses (1 drop in the diffuser or aroma lamp for 15 minutes twice a day) of, for example, mandarin or sweet orange. In case of a cold outbreak, from three years you can use thyme linalool, not for diffusion but heavily diluted in a vegetable oil for chest and back massages. Add a maximum of 5 drops of thyme linalool to 50 ml of vegetable oil. Do not use it on the child long-term (no longer than 10 consecutive days).

If you don't want to use thyme linalool, replace it with tea tree essential oil or gentle petitgrain, dosing a maximum of 10 drops per 50 ml of vegetable oil. For children from six years with a cold, you can use eucalyptus radiata, thyme linalool, tea tree both for diffusion and massages. They can be complemented with citrus oils. You can also add a mixture of Flu away, total 15 drops per 50 ml of vegetable oil (beware with asthma and epilepsy).

Essential Oils Suitable for Adults

When to use the real heavy hitters? When you need to loosen mucus, aid coughing, and support airway openness. Basically, when you really catch a bad cold. Eucalyptuses and other essential “bombs” are not suitable as prevention; give milder essential oils a chance first. Just to see how they work. Before using any essential oils or their blends, ensure you do not suffer from the following contraindications: epilepsy, asthma, high or low blood pressure, hormonal issues, oncological diseases, or blood thinning problems.

For children from ten years and adults, suitable oils include laurel, thymes, eucalyptuses (globulus, radiata), rosemary cineol and camphor, niaouli, citronella, spruce, ravintsara, litsea cubeba, pine, ginger. For immune support, citrus or tea tree suffice, as with children. If you want to create a cold relief oil and have no special contraindications, try mixing up to 30 drops of essential oils in 50 ml of vegetable oil. Ideally three types. For example: mix 15 drops of lemon or mandarin, 5 drops of laurel, and 5 drops of ravintsara, it will work quite well for a cold. Add up to 4 drops of essential oil or blend to an aroma lamp or diffuser, depending on the room size. Stronger essential oils are better dosed in smaller amounts and complemented with milder essential oils.

Pavlína Klaudová

graduate of the prestigious Tisserand Aromatherapy Institute