Essential oils have become a popular choice for supporting emotional and physical wellness. Many consumers use them to assist with low moods, insomnia, stress, boosting cognitive function for better focus and energy throughout the day, and physical pain, which comes in the forms of:
- Sore and aching muscles
- Stiff muscles
- Muscle spasms
- Headaches
- Joint pain
- Swelling or stinging pain from insect bites
- Bruising
To start off, one must first identify the essential oils with pain relieving properties (not an exhaustive list):
- Clary Sage
- Cedarwood
- Chamomile
- Cypress
- Eucalyptus
- Ginger
- Helichrysum
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Spearmint
- Sweet Basil
Add a few drops of pain relieving essential oil to your diffuser and diffuse for 30 minutes. Inhaling the lovely scent of essential oils is a great way to manage headaches caused by stress, lack of sleep and over thinking, as it is tranquilizing and calming to the senses.
An alternative way to use pain relieving essential oils via inhalation is to incorporate them in a facial steam. This is especially helpful if you’re suffering from headaches caused by allergies and congestion. The go-to for clearing congestion would be none other than the popular eucalyptus and peppermint.
Apply them topically after proper dilution with carrier oil. Chamomile and lavender are highly reputed to be gentle and versatile, their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties can soothe muscle spasms, sore and stiff muscles, and pain from bug bites. Peppermint is another well known essential oil with analgesic effects. The main constituent, menthol, helps to provide a cooling effect to muscle pain when applied.
Another way to benefit from pain relieving essential oils topically is to get an aromatherapy massage at a massage parlor or wellness center. Treating yourself to an aromatherapy massage every now and then is a fantastic form of self care, not to mention how a massage can improve the body’s circulation as well as your mood.
Warm compress is a safe and affordable way to provide relief for joint pain and stiff muscles. Heat therapy boosts blood circulation to loosen and soothe joint pain and stiff muscles. Soak a towel in tolerably hot water infused with a few drops of pain relieving essential oil, wring out the excess water and apply them onto areas that require pain relieving.
While warm compress loosens and relaxes the muscles and joints to reduce stiffness and discomfort, cold compress helps with swelling, bruising and redness. Cold therapy has the opposite effects of heat therapy. It reduces blood circulation and manages inflammation and swelling, this is helpful for athletes and dancers who train long hours, often putting a lot of strain on their muscles and more likely to overwork them.
For more information, you can read about the use of Morphine Bomb Essential Oil for pain relief.
Depending on the degree of pain you are facing, essential oils may provide a significant amount of comfort but not diminish it completely. It is important to remember that essential oils are not a replacement for prescribed medicine or over the counter painkillers despite their numerous health benefits.