With cold and flu season now in full swing, there are a lot of stuffy noses and scratchy throats. And if you have young, school-age children like me, you’re even more susceptible to these common seasonal symptoms…
Congestion is no fun, and can sometimes be painful. However, you may be able to find relief with something as simple as essential oils. These botanical remedies are “small,” but they are mighty.
Today, we have an essential oil blend to share with you that can help open your respiratory passages and have you breathing a bit more freely.
Essential oils might seem like a modern remedy, but they’re actually quite ancient. Dating back as early as 4500 BC, ancient Egyptians were recorded as having used these oils for cosmetic and medicinal purposes – and they were clearly on to something.
They are produced by distilling oil from a plant, usually via steaming or pressing. The therapeutic oils are typically found in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits. And they’re now being used to combat various conditions including anxiety, depression, nausea, insomnia, and even cold and flu symptoms like that congestion we talked about above.
There are a number of different oils that can be used to help relieve congestion, but a recipe I like to use consists of peppermint, oregano, tea tree, and lemon.
And here’s why…
Peppermint Oil
Seems kind of fitting to use peppermint during the winter months, doesn’t it? (Think candy canes…) But in all seriousness, peppermint essential oil gets an A+ when used for respiratory conditions.
This is because of its main component: menthol. That’s right, the same component you find in most over-the-counter throat lozenges and chest rubs.
Peppermint oil helps to soothe the throat by relaxing the muscles of your windpipe, and it has a cooling effect on sore throats.
And further earning it the A+ grade, peppermint (mentha piperita) has natural anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties — all the things you look for and need when battling colds and viruses.
Oregano Oil
Similar to peppermint oil, oregano oil also has antimicrobial and antiviral properties that help your body fend off those unwanted germs.
But along with fighting infection, oregano oil, when used in aromatherapy, can aid your respiratory tract by suppressing coughing fits and loosening up a buildup of phlegm and mucus. That alone will do wonders when suffering from congestion.
Tea Tree Oil
One of the most widely used essential oils, tea tree oil is nature’s antiseptic. It gets to the root of the infection and works to inhibit the growth of bacteria that causes sinus and respiratory issues.
What makes tea tree oil so effective as a remedy for cough and colds is that it can kill airborne viruses and bacteria. It becomes your body’s first line of defense, killing potential germs before they even have a chance to enter and attack your body.
**Note – Use caution when using tea tree oil around children and pets.
Lemon Oil
A popular essential oil because of its fresh, clean scent, lemon oil is often added into aromatherapy blends to act as a bronchodilator, by relaxing the air passageways and increasing airflow to the lungs. Lemon oil is a potent anti-inflammatory that reduces stress, eases breathing and supports overall respiratory function.
When you blend these four healing oils together, you get one powerful remedy to help treat respiratory and nasal congestion.
Here’s a recipe for your own respiratory-opening essential oil blend:
Natural Essential Oil Decongestant
Ingredients:
- 15 drops of Peppermint
- 15 drops of Oregano
- 15 drops of Tea Tree
- 15 drops of Lemon
Instructions:
Using a diffuser is a great way to safely enjoy the oils over a longer period of time. Simply follow the manufacturer’s directions for water to oil ratio. The diffuser will disperse the essential oils into the air of a room. You can also make your own air diffuser by adding essential oils to a spray bottle with water. Spritzing into the air will create a similar effect as a store-bought diffuser.
*The number of drops above is just a suggestion. The important thing is to use the 4 ingredients in equal proportion to each other.
Other ways to use essential oils:
Essential oils can be dispensed in a variety of ways. The easiest way to use essential oils is to put a few drops on your palms, rub your hands together, cup your hands over your mouth and nose, and take a few deep breaths.
You can also inhale them using steam. Add a few drops to your steaming bath, or add them to a bowl of hot water, cover your head with a towel and inhale the steam for several minutes.
If congested, add a couple of drops to your pillowcase and place the essential oil-side down before going to sleep.
If you want to use topically, it’s best to dilute them with a carrier oil such as coconut or avocado oil before applying to your skin. Once diluted you can apply to your wrists, neck, or other pressure points.
*Essential oils are natural and safe; however, it’s important to listen to your body. Everyone reacts to them differently. Pay attention to how they are making you feel. Remember… a little goes a long way!
It’s truly amazing what these beautiful oils can achieve.
Stay curious,
Nick Polizzi
Host of Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine
& Founder of The Sacred Science
45 Responses
Thank you 4 sharing the beautiful recipes many Blessings
Glad this resonates with you!
Thank you for your recipes. Hugs from Canada
Mullein extract
One stop shop that does it all.
Thanks for sharing!
Dear Nick, I cannot tell you how grateful to you I am for the work you are doing. My daughter Phoebe was becoming an herbalist and healer as she attended college majoring in biology. She had a dream of establishing a healing center using all so called “Alternative” medicine to treat people.
Sadly she passed away before reaching some of her goals. She also would be a fan of yours if she hadn’t left us. I always look forward to the emails I receive from your organization and learn so much from you. You give so generously of your knowledge to the world. The only wisdom I can share is to treasure and nurture your children as much as you can as long as they are with you.
Very sorry for your loss! If these offerings connect you to the passions of your daughter, then hopefully that resonates with you beautiful memories of her.
Thanks for your help, I appreciate the information Jack
Don’t forget thyme, thyme is extremely powerful and will kill even pneumonia and get rid of the infection and the loogies in the lungs 😉 Antibiotics only have the power to kill specific bugs, however natural medicine/compounds have the power to annihilate any mutated bug. You just have to stick to it until it is all gone, don’t quit and say it doesn’t work, many people expect natural remedies to work like drugs, don’t expect instant gratification with Gods medicine, it really works, but you have to let it heal you and give it time… they do not have patience and end up taking dangerous drugs, which make the condition even worse and even cause death. Stick it out, if it is not helping fast enough, double and even tripple the dose. They work and have no dangerous side effects except for maybe burping but never damage anything inside you.
Thank you for sharing!
Nick, do you have an EO supplier you can recommend? TIA
We love our friend’s, David Crow, well-crafted and heart-based EO company Floracopeia: https://www.floracopeia.com
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Thank you for sharing!
I’m a Welness Advocate for doTERRA Essential Oils and continue to learn how proper attention to what we ingest and how we care our bodies can have a major effect to our overall health. Essential oils & ancient/natural remedies have already made a difference for me.
Interesting flavors and health aids!
Dear Nick
Thank you for sending out those beautiful prayers. I use them everyday. Keep up the wonderful work
you do. As it is such a blessing. With deep gratitude.
I just appreciate you. I have been following you for a long while. I had learned from experience many, if not most, of the things you discover to share…but you have taken sharing this wisdom to a much greater level and much broader audience than I — and for that i am truly grateful to you. You have made the world a significantly MUCH better placeby sharing your many talents and gifts!
Most Sincerely,
Leslie Markham
I hate the smell of tea tree oil and I’m not real big on oregano oil, either. So I use the 4 thieves (there are several versions but I use lavender *just a little of that because I’m not fond of it, either*, lemon, clove, a small dash of eucalyptus *another one I’m not fond of*, peppermint or wintergreen.
I rub it on my throat at night before bed and tie a handkerchief around my neck (like my Mom always did with Vicks and stuff when we were kids), a little on my chest, and I rub just a dab onto the soles of both feet. This has been working for me for years but particularly well in the past two years since all this covid nonsense took hold. I have never yet had covid and don’t think I ever will. My body stays protected by these oils, which I put on my wrists several times per day and rub my wrists together. Can’t argue with results!
Thanks for sharing the essential oil decongestant tip Nick. I will get it mixed and sniff it from the bottle when I need to before I use my CPAP. Much obliged, regards John.
Such a timely post! I’m dealing with some head and chest congestion now. I added the Thyme oil to the mix and now have it in my Young Living Aromalux diffuser that diffuses oil, no water. My head congestion is already improving.
I have been using YL essential oils for 7 years now and no longer have OTC products in my home.
Thanks for your education in natural health.
Hi Nick,
I was in your movie maker academy training several years ago. No Movie yet!!
my question. Are essential oils harmful for puppies? Thanks for your answer.
What are good oils to put in a CPAP water container, to help breathing and sleep?
Nick, thanks so much for all the valuable information you pass along to us! I truly appreciate it. For the above recipe, to my way of thinking, it would be better to leave out the “15 drops” and just say equal amounts of each of the four EOs. For example, I would just be using 1 drop of each of the four oils in my 90ml capacity water diffuser. I know you said to follow your manufacturer’s direction for water to oil, but a total of 60 drops of the four EO, if someone is not familiar with how potent EOs are (and not checking the manufacturer’s directions) would be way too much for anything other than a very large diffuser which uses water. If you were using a waterless diffuser, that’s a different story.
Thank you Nick for all the hard work you do in researching healthy remedies for us. About to make your lovely oil blend as I have been given a horrible flu from my US family. My Irish immune system was not ready for it. It is so worth it to have them home 😊
Immense amount of information I came across through Remedy series. I keen read each of the emails I receive. 3 cheers for all the extraordinary work you do to reach one and many with natures gift. Love and blessings. Let it flow.
Thank you for your offerings! I want to get salt. And the cold and flu diffuser sounds great. I’m making into a roll on so I can carry it with me!
This is a great essential oil blend for sinus/respiratory. I have learned to NEVER have someone put essentials into a bath tub alone. They must always be in baking soda, Epsom salts etc. A friend was badly burned on body parts from using oils neat in her bath water,
Thank you. And I thank you so much for all the great info you share on so many things and topics.
My favorite essential oil blend was crafted during the plague. It is the strongest proven remedy. I use it to wipe down tables & desks, door handles & toilets & airplane tables & buttons & to diffuse.
Clove oil
Rosemary oil
Lemon oil
Cinnamon Bark oil
Eucalyptus oil
This combo creates a 98.5 killing rate on viruses, spores, bacteria etc while making your surroundings smell fabulous. I am never without it. I clean my kitchen counters with it every night leaving them sparkling clean! Also my door frames & threshholds; no bug will come near. I also spray my facial masks & hands before entering stores. I diffuse it in my car too. My teaqcher daughter uses it in her classroom. The best! Enjoy!
Great tips! Opening sinuses with essential oils sounds refreshing. Have you tried this blend before? I’m curious how effective it is for others.
Hi all
I was looking for astragalus, Japanese knotweed and cat‘s claw EO after the recommendation in the Remedy one episode of Nick and I would need an online shop from where to get them. I see lot of extracts, tinctures, but not EOs.
I would appreciate your hint.
Amazed by the documentaries with great explanations !
Thank you in advance!
I listen and have purchased several of the series. Can you offer a reputable place or site to purchase some of the herbs and adaptogens that are discussed. Thanks so much
Thank you for your wonderful healing recipes, I don’t always have the energy to cook, these are great as not too long preparing or standing etc. Looking forward to making the soup and curry.
Which essential oils would you recommend please. ?
I paid 76 dollars to you but get so many emails that I don’t know what I was to receive for my money. Can you help me?
I se le on my credit card bill, that I have pd 76.00 ,bit I do not know what or when I ordered, also what was ordered.
Forgive me, as i have been very ill, and simply cannot remember.
So today I went on your sight(since I saw my credit card bill, I called and left a message as well. I like what I saw today, not necessarily canceling. But today Oct 7th was the first time I have ever visited your sight. The bill was fromAug27th? Please call me, Cindy, @ 603-361-0485, and help me clarify how long I have been being billed, what I am receiving. Thank you
Thank you, Nick – this couldn’t have come on a better day… I’m sitting here drinking my coffee and writing your recipe on a napkin. I don’t lose it…. I have three disabled children this week here in upstate New York with allergies and flu. Season is almost here….. thank you so much. I appreciate you.
Not all essential oils are safe to use topically without proper dilution. So, advocating to add a few drops to your palms is questionable to put it mildly.
Love essential oils and the healing powers they possess.
Ravensara is another lovely one for the winter seasons bugs x
Hi Nick!
Thanks for the recipe and all the great info I learn from your emails! Could you tell me what the girl in the picture above the essential oil recipe page is sniffing? It’s beautiful!
Thanks, Jean
Thank you for the recipe for sinus relief, but could you please add a note for those of us with pets that some of these essential oils are not suitable for use in a diffuser or on your skin when pets may come in contact with them. Our beloved pets are so much more sensitive to these scents, and some of them are dangerous for them. Safe substitutes would be helpful for those essential oils that are or that could be dangerous. Thank you.
WOW! I just tried this recently! Nose seemed suddenly to be stuffy all the time so I decided to give this a shot. First day noticed a huge improvement; second day and since I’ve clear!
Thanks for this great little formula!
Also love the lion’s mane crab cakes from the seminar
DOES THIS OIL COME READY MADE? THANKS
Thats a nice recipe-thank you Nick.
Careful! Some essential oils are toxic to cats! Love your work, Nick, and this blend sounds great for humans, but please warn your audience that some of the components of this blend are toxic to cats and can cause serious harm, especially if your cat has underlying health issues. Tea tree oil is one of the worst, and peppermint and oregano are a problem for some cats as well. Please check online sources such as dailypaws.com and petpoisonhelpline.com for suggestions on how to use essential oils safely around cats.
Is there any essential oil that helps with pain in the joints of hands? I appreciate your input. Thank you!