The Remarkable Antiviral Results Of Essential Oils

One of the most lauded effects of essential oils is their ability to prevent and treat infectious health issues. All essential oils possess some level of antimicrobial action, working to eradicate harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses from our bodies and the environment. The antiviral features are especially interesting, as viral health issues are especially tough to treat and prevent.

There's a significant amount of scientific research obtainable through sources such as Pub Med, demonstrating essential oils antiviral activity. Here we'll look at the two "categories" of research, and just how we can then use oils ourselves to employ the benefits. Antiviral activity has been mainly tested using one of these methods and conditions: the topical application of oils for treating herpes simplex legions, and activity "in the test tube" against a number of other types of viruses.

Herpes simplex virus infections are extremely simple to investigate -- so many people carry the virus, and suffer occasional outbreaks, that accumulating test subjects is simple. The appearance of the outbreaks is apparent, and so is whether an essential oil has been efficient at healing it.

It appears this healing is the result of two actions of the essential oil: they prevent uninfected cells from getting afflicted, and directly destroy the viruses. It appears that oils somehow alter the electrical potential of our cells in such a way as to make it harder for a viral invader to break into the cell, while destroying the viruses themselves simultaneously.

The most effective essential oils for treatment of HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus) are melissa, geranium, and tea tree. The oils are simple to utilize for this action: just dilute alone or in combination in a carrier oil at a concentration between 5 and 10% and apply to affected regions. Some people will even ingest a drop of melissa one to three times daily when an outbreak is occurring, or when they feel their immune system is weak.

Viruses which cause the flu virus are inherently more difficult to examine in actual patients, yet a large amount of data is accruing noting the ability of essential oils to eradicate these kinds of viruses "in the test tube". Bay laurel was noted in one study to be effective against the virus causing SARS (sever acute respiratory syndrome), and tea tree has been shown effective against viruses that result in influenza.

A few practitioners using aromatherapy oils consider those oils from evergreen trees, like pine needle, to be strongly antiviral. Other oils considered extremely effective include: melissa, pine, hyssop, bay laurel, lavender, ravensara, and eucalyptus radiata.

The use of these oils is really quite simple. The ultimate way to shield ones self from airborne contagions is through the use of an aromatherapy diffuser. A diffuser makes a mist of the oils so that one could inhale higher concentrations than just inhaling straight from the bottle. A blend of various oils with antiviral properties might be most effective, and equal parts of each should prove a good recipe.

One may use the same oil blend topically as well. Mix these essential oils at a 10% concentration in any carrier oil, and massage feet (a particularly reactive area to the actions of essential oils), or the lymph nodes in the armpits, neck and groin region, and the chest-bone (sternum). Oils will rapidly pass through the skin and into the bloodstream, rapidly offering their therapeutic activity to the user. Whatever method you choose to utilize these oils, use your gut instinct to gain the best effect. The science-proven benefits are sure to come into your possession.

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