Looking for sore throat relief? No matter what the cause of a sore throat, finding a remedy for its pain and discomfort is certainly welcome. We have found therapeutic grade essential oils to be very soothing in this regard.
A sore throat can have various causes. These include common viruses (like cold and flu), breathing through the mouth, sinus drainage, and bacterial infections. Sore throats can also be a consequence of taking antibiotics or the presence of candida.
When a sore throat lasts for more than two weeks, or is accompanied by a fever, it may indicate a serious illness. In these cases it is wise to obtain competent medical advice.
When looking for sore throat relief, people will often try various remedies. Some of the more common are salt gargles, sprays, and lozenges. Running a humidifier and using a decongestant is also common.
We have tried all of these at one time or another, and have found them all to bring some help . Nothing compares, however, with the results we've had using quality essential oils.
Ordinarily, if someone in our family encounters a sore throat it is because of a virus (like a cold). When this happens, we immediately administer the Thieves Jump Start.
As described on the page for Colds and Flus, Thieves is a powerful essential oil blend containing clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, and rosemary. The way to use Thieves to jumpstart your immune system is as follows. . .
Put one drop of Thieves on the inside of your cheek once every minute for 10 minutes. Then, put a drop in the same area once every ten minutes for an hour. After that, apply Thieves once an hour for the rest of the day.
That's it. Simple, but powerful – and we've found it to be extremely effective, bringing noticeable improvement almost immediately.
(NOTE: Because the clove and cinnamon in Thieves gives a spicy hot sensation, children may not like it. In that case, I put a drop in a glass of water or rub Thieves on the bottom of the feet. Children typically have no trouble with this.)
There are a number of other possible ways to use essential oils to comfort the throat naturally.
Besides Thieves, other single oils and blends that have brought sore throat relief are: tea tree, ravansara, cypress, eucalyptus radiata, lemon, thyme, oregano, peppermint, myrrh, wintergreen, melrose, and raven.
These oils can be used individually, or in a specially made sore throat blend.
When trying to alleviate sore throat symptoms, there are several possible applications using these oils, according to the Essential Oils Desk Reference.
Inhalation: People frequently steam themselves when suffering from congestion and a sore throat. Adding essential oils make the effort so much more comfortable and effective.
Topical: Applied directly to the throat (dilute 50:50 with a quality carrier or vegetable oil), using compresses on the throat and chest area 2-3 times a day. Or 1-3 drops on the feet at the Vita flex points, 1-3 times daily.
Ingestion: Mix in warm rice milk and sip slowly. Another option that we have used with success is an essential oil capsule.
Strep throat arises from a common bacteria, streptococcus, and is often very painful. In addition to a very sore throat, strep throat typically involves sore, swollen glands in the neck and white spots all over in the throat.
When strep throat is suspected, I believe it is a good idea to get a throat culture to confirm the diagnosis.
At the same time, however, I do not hesitate in cases like this to use my essential oils to provide comfort and strengthen the body's immune system.
In the case of strep throat, in particular, I like to use Thieves Spray.
As it is with most uses of essential oils, we find the most comfort comes when applied at the first sign of symptoms.