Conscious Choice: Warding Off Winter Chills and Ills

December 1999 | Herbs for Health

Warding Off Winter Chills and Ills

by Meg McGowan

When we close our doors and windows against the winter winds, we limit the exchange of air that takes place within our homes. Our supply of fresh air is limited to a few furtive breaths as we hurry from one warm building to the next. Stale, indoor air invites germs to linger, often resulting in winter colds and flu. This is an excellent time to use essential oils to clean the atmosphere of your personal environment, both at work and at home.

Essential oils can be dispersed through a room in several ways. A drop or two can be added to the pooling wax of a burning candle (away from the flame), or dabbed on a light bulb before lighting. Or add anywhere from one to ten drops of essential oils to a diffuser. If you don’t have a diffuser, you can set out a bowl of boiling water and then add your chosen essential oils. Room sprays are another convenient method, and they are also portable. A dark glass mister bottle is the best choice for a container. Use distilled water as a base and add oils to create a spray of desired potency.

Cinnamon leaf (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) essential oil is an excellent oil to use by itself or in a blend. It has antibiotic, antiseptic, and antiviral properties and is an immune system stimulant. A warming oil, its spicy scent (rather like cloves) is perfect for the winter months, conjuring images of toasty kitchens and holiday preparations. Try combining two drops of cinnamon leaf, two drops of juniper berry (Juniperus communis), and four drops of mandarin (Citrus nobilis) essential oils in a diffuser. Juniper and mandarin are antiseptic oils, and they complement the scent of cinnamon leaf. If desired, add a drop of clary sage (Salvia sclarea) essential oil as a pungent note for grounding and balance.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora & E. radiata), garlic (Allium sativum), onion (Allium cepa), oregano (Origanum vulgare) and sage (Salvia officinalis) are antibacterial, antiseptic, and antiviral oils that also provide an immune system boost. Onion and garlic are challenging oils to work with as room scents, but combined with oils such as bay (Bay laurel or Pimenta racemosa), marjoram (Origanum marjorana syn. Marjorana hortensis), oregano, rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis), sage, or thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and possibly some citrus essential oils, they can be quite pleasing in kitchen and dining areas. Try blending sage with lavender (Lavandula officinalis syn. angustifolia), which also has antibacterial, antiseptic, and antiviral qualities. Add nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), an antibiotic and antiseptic oil, and lighten the blend with antiseptic sweet orange (Citrus sinensis). Begin with two drops sage, three drops each of lavender and nutmeg and four drops of sweet orange. Adjust the proportions to suit your nose.

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri) is also reputed to aid the immune system. Because of its heavy scent, it should be used sparingly, in blends. Try blending a drop of frankincense with a drop of warm, sweet allspice (Pimenta dioica) essential oil. Add two drops of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and a drop or two of lime (Citrus aurantifolia), both of which are antibiotic and antiseptic essential oils. For a slightly warmer scent, substitute a drop or two of sweet orange for the lime oil.

Clove bud oil (Eugenia caryophyllata syn. Syzgium aromaticum) is also potent on all fronts — a powerful antibacterial, antiseptic, and antiviral. In The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy (New World Library, 1991), Valerie Worwood recommends making a festive blend of equal parts clove, cinnamon, and pine oils for a "seasonal aroma while creating a flu-free zone in your home." She suggests using it as a room spray or in a diffuser at holiday gatherings and even as a bathroom cleaner before guests arrive. Clove also combines well with ginger (Zingiber officinale), tangerine (Citrus reticulata), bergamot (Citrus bergamia), Siberian fir needle (Abies sibirica) and ylang ylang (Cananga odorata)—though not all at once! Mix and match until you discover a combination that strikes the right note for your environment.

Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) supports the immune system while providing antiviral and antibacterial benefits. Mary Lou Jaeger, author of Miracle Millennium Medicines (MicroMags, 1999), names myrrh and lavender the two essential oils she has found to be effective against mutant virus strains. Like frankincense, myrrh is a rather heavy resinous oil and should be used sparingly. Try two drops of myrrh and one of frankincense in a diffuser. If you are actually ill with a resistant virus, Jaeger recommends diluting one drop of myrrh essential oil in one teaspoon of water and holding the mixture under the tongue for a few minutes. Or "rub one to four drops of myr rh oil on the bottom of each foot, once or twice a day as needed." Internally and externally, myrrh should be used with caution.

In Seasons of Aromatherapy: Hundreds of Restorative Recipes and Sensory Suggestions (Conari, 1999), authors Paula Bousquet and Judith Fitzsimmons offer the following recipe for Common Cold Antiseptic Spray: Mix together three drops eucalyptus, four drops lavender, seven drops lemon (Citrus limonum), two drops rosemary, two drops tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oils. Add eight drops of the blend to one quart of water. (Distilled water is best.) "Use this spray to clean floors and surfaces, disinfect germy areas, such as toys, and cleanse every nook and cranny, calming and cleaning as it goes. This blend is great because you are cleaning your house and fighting colds in one spritz." The tea tree oil, lemon and lavender used in this blend not only have antiviral, antiseptic and antibiotic properties, they also stimulate production of white blood cells. According to herbal author Kathi Keville, other oils reputed to boost white blood cell counts include bergamot, chamomile (Anthemis nobilis or Matricaria chamomila), myrrh, pine, sandalwood (Santalum album), thyme, and vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides).

For colds in progress, Bousquet and Fitzsimmons suggest blending ten drops each of eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree essential oils for children and two drops eucalyptus, three drops peppermint (Mentha piperita), and five drops each of geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and rosemary essential oils for adults. Either blend can be used in a diffuser or dabbed on a piece of tissue or cotton to tuck inside a pillowcase, purse, or pocket. The blends can also be used for bath or massage.

One of my favorite remedies is to sauté a large quantity of organic onions and garlic as soon as I notice the first symptom. If I have it, I will begin with an herbed olive oil. Then I rummage around in my cupboard, adding such herbs and spices as hold an appeal for me at the moment—rosemary, oregano, black pepper and such. As I cook I breathe deeply, inhaling the aromas that fill the kitchen. Sometimes I will simply toss the mixture with hot pasta; at other times I stir it into a marinara sauce first.

Next I dig out and assess my herbal supplements and soak my feet in hot water dosed liberally with some of the essential oils mentioned above. I try to trust my intuition, allowing myself to be guided in my choices by what sounds comforting and healing to me at the time. Sometimes I follow that with a foot massage of essential oils diluted in a carrier oil. Finally I tuck my feet into socks and myself into bed. Recognizing symptoms and responding immediately has helped me to avoid many illnesses that have made the rounds. Maybe they’ll work for you, too.

DISCLAIMER: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your health care. Herbs for Health offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a health care practitioner.

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