These days you can find any number of headache medicines, sold in pharmacies either on prescription or over the counter. All of them cause a whole range of side effects and come with various contraindications. So, as an alternative way of getting rid of recurring headaches, you can use natural ingredients — and essential oils are just that.
Here are FIVE aroma oils whose effectiveness has been tested in practical work and confirmed by scientific data. They are:
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Eucalyptus
- Chamomile
1. Peppermint has been used in traditional medicine for more than a thousand years. It is one of the most popular essential oils, and applied locally it will help you ease a headache and release tension. Rub a little peppermint oil into your temples and forehead — that is guaranteed to give you a positive effect. The active ingredient of peppermint oil is menthol, which can be effective as part of a combined therapy for migraine. In that case it is applied to the head in the form of a gel.
2. Rosemary oil has traditionally been used to treat headaches and improve circulation. Various studies carried out specifically on this question have confirmed that it is effective in treating headaches. On top of that, rosemary oil has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.
3. Lavender is used for sleep disturbances, for lowering stress and anxiety, and for depressive disorders. It is a safe and effective remedy for easing headaches brought on by stress. Inhaling lavender essential oil helps in the treatment of migraine.
4. People have traditionally drunk chamomile tea to relax and unwind. It is generally believed that chamomile oil has a similar effect. Studies carried out in 2012 confirmed that chamomile oil reduces some symptoms of anxiety and depression. Since headaches are often triggered by stress or anxiety, chamomile oil may be exactly what helps in that situation. Chamomile also contains anti-inflammatory substances that help to ease a headache during a cold.
5. Eucalyptus has traditionally been used to clear the sinuses and reduce inflammation of the airways. Inhaling eucalyptus essential oil will reduce the symptoms caused by swelling of the nasal lining, headache among them. In a number of cases eucalyptus oil has shown a positive effect in relieving pain and lowering high blood pressure.
Do not forget to consult a specialist before you use essential oils. Join our meetings at the "Freud's Legacy" club. Take care of yourself and stay well!
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How to use the oils
- Apply the oil to your temples or forehead with light massaging movements. In this case essential oils are not used undiluted. Aroma oils have to be diluted with a carrier oil — coconut or olive, for example — before you put them on your skin.
- Essential oils can be inhaled: put a few drops on a handkerchief first. Breathe deeply enough.
- Make a compress with essential oil. Soak a towel in cold water with a few drops of essential oil in it. The compress can be laid on your forehead or your neck.
- A warm bath with a few drops of aroma oil can be a relaxing way of treating a headache.
