Are you thinking of some essential oils that you could keep at home and use as remedy for different ailments?
You see, if you are not having this thought, you should. It is okay to have at home, things you could use as first aid.
Indeed, having these essential oils at home offers you and yours so much more than you can imagine.
If you want to make that choice of essential oils, here are three to look out for.
Ensure that your essential oils come in amber or dark colour bottles. Also buy brands that are well known and reliable.
These are the very 3 you must have at home.
1. Eucalyptus Oil
The eucalyptus tree is native to Australia. However, because of its potency in treating some ailments, this tree is now grown all over the world.
Interestingly, eucalyptus oil, from eucalyptus tree, has different medicinal properties.
With this oil, you can take care of so many of the health issues that give you concern.
Eucalyptus oil contains flavonoids – catechins, isorhamnetin, luteolin, kaempferol, phloretin, and quercetin.
According to a study, if you add foods that are rich in flavonoids to your diet, you will lower risk of certain cancers, heart disease, and dementia (1) (2).
Cough And Catarrh Remedy
You see, in a period of rain or cold, having this oil at home saves you a lot.
The potency of this oil for cold management, is awesome.
In fact, many cough medications have eucalyptus oil as one of the active ingredients. If you have used an inhaler before, it is one of the active ingredients in it.
Also, some popular heat rubs you apply on your body to relieve cough or pains contain this oil. Many years before now, people use this oil to treat flu.
Serves As Repellant To Insects
If you are often not comfortable using sprays as repellants, you should try lemon and eucalyptus combination.
It repels even mosquitos and other buds that bring you discomfort.
Helps You Breath Fine
Also, if you feel obstruction while breathing, eucalyptus oil can help you breath better.
People who have respiratory conditions such as asthma and sinusitis could get relief when they inhale this oil.
All you do is head-steam with some drops of it in a hot steaming water in a bowl.
You can also apply few drops of this oil on a handkerchief and inhale.
Amazing For Diabetics
This oil is also good for lowering blood sugar level.
According to a study, eucalyptus has been used in the traditional treatment of diabetes (3).
The study confirms that the plant helps in lowering blood sugar level.
Improves Sleep And Relaxation
If you find it hard to fall sleep at night, you may do a head steam with few drops of eucalyptus oil into a hot steaming water in a bow.
According to a study, inhaling this oil significantly reduces pre-surgery anxiety in some patients (4).
Eucalyptus oil contains eucalyptol, a compound that possess anti-anxiety properties. This is the major compound that makes it effective in relaxing your mood and helping you sleep better.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Also, inhaling eucalyptus oil for 30 minutes can help lower lower blood pressure in patients (5).
One of the major functions of the body that this oil has effect on is your sympathetic nervous system.
This is your stress response system and this will help reduce the activity of this part of your body.
While this happens, the oil also increases the activity of your parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation (6).
You see, there is so much benefits to get from this oil and having it at home is really good.
While we recommend that you do a head steam with the oil in water, we do not recommend that you drink it.
Also, do not apply it directly on your body to avoid skin irritation. Dilute the oil with another oil, like olive oil before you use it.
2. Cloves Oil
This is one of the basic essential oils to have at home.
You see, before now, people of old used cloves oil for different ailments.
It is effective because it contains phenolic compounds as flavonoids, hidroxibenzoic acids, hidroxicinamic acids and hidroxiphenyl propens.
Basically, eugenol is the main bioactive compound of cloves oil.
A study says among spices, clove showed the higher content of polyphenols and antioxidant compounds (7).
You see, people have used cloves oil to ease digestive upset, relieve pain, and help with respiratory conditions.
Furthermore, studies have also shown that clove oil may be beneficial for dental and topical applications, for treating infections.
Cloves also has anticancer properties (8).
See Other Health Benefits And Uses Of Cloves
- Health Benefits And Side Effects Of Cloves [Kanafuru Spice]
- 5 Major Benefits Of Cloves To The Vagina | Does It Tighten?
- Sore Throat: Causes, 8 Easy To Get Remedies
If you want to use cloves, here are things to know.
The clove essential oil is generally recognised as safe substance when consumed in concentrations lower than 1 500 mg/kg.
On the other hand, the World Health Organization established that the daily quantity acceptable of clove per day is of 2.5 mg/kg of weight in humans (9).
3. Thyme Oil
Another oil pick that is the last in our essential oils basket is thyme oil.
Thymus vulgaris (TV) is a flowering plant with an aromatic odour. It is rich in vitamin A and C, copper, fiber, iron and manganese.
Vitamin C, which is also an antioxidant, boosts your immune system.
Due to this amazing aroma thyme has been broadly applied in conventional medicine and food additives.
Also, people use thyme in phyto-pharmaceutical preparations (10).
Several studies also say thyme is rich in antioxidants and other compounds that boost our immune system (11).
Thyme can fight acne, lower blood pressure, alleviate cough, disinfect your home and boost your mood (12).
Also, thyme can repel pests, work for aromatherapy and add value to your meal, bringing in a good aroma.
Above all, thymol which is in this spice have strong antimicrobial activities against various types of bacteria.
Some studies say it is effective against Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus.
Also, thyme oil is effective against other bacteria, as contained in a study (13).
Thyme is also effective in treatment of yeast infections and it contains properties that inhibit growth of cancer cells.
Note again that you need to dilute cloves oil to use it.
Add few drops of it into another form of oil like olive oil before you use it.
This will lower the concentration of the compounds in the oil to ensure it does not give you a negative result.