Eight Essential Oils for Health and Wellness

by Gaye Levy

When it comes to treating minor ailments, nothing seems to beat the effectiveness of essential oils. I say this not as a healthcare professional, for surely I am not, but as someone who recently dumped two drawers filled with over-the-counter remedies in favor of essential oils. To say I am pleased would be in understatement and while a bit of experimentation has been involved, each day my confidence in these miracle-worker oils grows.

In the past, I have written about the amazing uses for Melaleuca (Tea Tree), Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary and Clove oils.  If you have followed closely, you will have seen patterns where the solution to some ailment may be positively treated by more than one essential oil, either singly or in combination.

The reason for this is that many essential oils have common properties, such as Antiseptic, Anesthetic, Antibiotic, Anti-Bacterial, Antiviral, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Fungal and Anti-Depressant.  Most essential oils will have at least two or three of these properties and sometimes more.

The goal today is not to confuse you with the various oils or combinations of oils that are out there to help with first aid and other minor health concerns.  Instead, I want to boil it down and give you a nice chart that you can keep with your medical supplies so you can easily jump to the right solution to what ails you.

But first, how do essential oils work?

How Do Essential Oils Work

The actual science behind the effectiveness of essential oils is best described by Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD as follows:

Essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from a variety of different parts of a plant, including the flower, bark, roots, leaves, wood, resin, seeds, or the rind (in the case of citrus fruits). The oils contain healing vitamins, antibiotics, and antiseptics and represent the “life force” of the plant.

Scientists agree that essential oils may perform more than one function in living plants. In some cases they seem to be a part of the plant’s immune system. In other cases they may simply be end products of metabolism. Essential oils are said to be healing because they contain hundreds of organic constituents, including hormones, vitamins, and other natural elements that work on many levels. For example, essential oils can be sedative or stimulating. Some are antispasmodic, and most are antibacterial.  Essential oils are 75 to 100 times more concentrated than the oils in dried herbs.

When you think about it in terms of gardening, this makes sense.  You plant a seed, it germinates, a plant grows, and more seeds are created.  Each plant has its own circle of life.  So, from a non-scientific and non-technical perspective, to transfer the essence of a plant to the cells of a human body means we are taking advantage of this essence for a mostly if not completely positive outcome.

8 Essential Oils for Your Health and Wellness Kit

Here they are, the 8 essential oils you need to cover a wide range of maladies,  Except for Frankincense, all are very inexpensive ($5 to $8 max) and will serve you well for a variety of conditions.

A Note About Quality

There are many companies that make and sell essential oils. It is beyond the scope of this article to evaluate the effectiveness of one brand over another; however, I do have my favorites.  First let me say this: there is no official system that grades essential oils as A, B, C or therapeutic grade. That is bogus and if any website claims their essential oil is “FDA” or otherwise approved, run for the hills since it is marketing hype and not fact.

On the other hand, a company may legitimately indicate that their oils are of a “therapeutic grade” (without reference to certification) which will likely mean it is manufactured according to strict standards of purity.  That may also mean that under certain conditions, the essential oils may be taken internally (not something I have tried).

The Final Word

Once you start using essential oils, it is easy to get downright evangelistic about them even to the point of becoming preachy.  That said, they really do work and can play a vital role in a potential survival situation where over the counter remedies are in short supply or non-existent.  The beauty of essential oils is that they take up little room, store well, and perhaps best of all, a little bit goes a long way.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!