If you’ve never tried essential oil for pain relief before, it’s time you do. In fact, many topical preparations already make use of various essential oils to deliver analgesia, even though you may have never realized this.
Not only are essential oils effective at what they do, but they are also less likely to result in unwanted effects, especially since most times they are not consumed.
Wondering which essential oils can help with your pain? You may just have a few of them in your home right now.
1. Peppermint Oil
One of the most well-known essential oils for helping to manage pain, it is also one of the few that can be consumed in small quantities for systemic benefit.
Consumption of a few drops of peppermint oil can help to relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, smooth muscle spasm of the digestive tract, and also relieve gas pressure and pain.
Besides that, peppermint can be applied topically to help relieve muscle pain, and can also help treat the occasional headache.
2. Lavender Essential Oil
Best known for its ability to help induce relaxation, Lavender essential oil is very effective at helping to reduce stress and anxiety. How does this help pain?
It has been shown that a few drops of lavender essential oil applied to the neck can help to treat headaches, reduce neck or other muscle cramps, and can help you sleep.
By helping to relieve stress and anxiety, Lavender essential oil will improve your pain prognosis, so that it is milder overall.
3. Chamomile Essential Oil
Similar to lavender, chamomile is well-established first for its relaxing properties, but is also an effective analgesic agent, helping to treat headaches and even nerve tingling and pain. In addition to this, it can also be applied topically to reduce inflammation around joints.
A small amount of chamomile is safe for consumption, helping to relieve flatulence and abdominal spasms. It can also help manage painful symptoms of bowel disorders or even PMS.
4. Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus is a very effective anti-inflammatory agent, but should only be used topically. Its decongestant properties are just as impressive, but it also has the potential to help manage pain as a result of insect stings.
Eucalyptus oil should not be applied undiluted to skin as it is corrosive in nature. It should be added to a suitable carrier base such as coconut oil prior to application.
5. Cayenne Pepper Essential Oil
It should come as no surprise that an extract made of cayenne pepper is extremely helpful for managing pain, thanks to the presence of a compound capsaicin.
It is extremely effective for managing a range of pain conditions including neuralgia, arthritic pain and even that characterized by shingles. Shingles occurs in adults wherein the chickenpox virus that usually lies dormant reactivates and causes intense nerve pain.
You scarcely ever need more than a single drop of cayenne essential oil, but this is still more than enough to mandate dilution in a carrier oil.
6. Ginger Essential Oil
While Ginger is best known as the digestive aid, it also has great utility as an analgesic agent, when used topically or inhalationally. It is helpful in managing conditions such as arthritis, and autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
It can also help reduce inflammation associated with conditions such as psoriasis, as it also has an anti-inflammatory action as well.
It can be applied as-is to the skin, but for safety you should test a single drop on an area of the skin and examine if any untoward reactions occur.
7. Clove Oil
An essential oil made from clove that is an effective traditional remedy used heavily for management of tooth ache, where it helps to exert both an anesthetic and analgesic action.
In addition to this, it can also be used to help manage pain as a result of muscle soreness, joint aches, or even headaches.
It is important for dilute the oil in a suitable carrier such as coconut oil before applying to reduce the burning sensation that may be experienced.
8. Yarrow Essential Oil
This essential oil is not well known throughout the world, but is quickly catching on as a unique analgesic agent, owing to the presence of natural salicylic acid.
Salicylic acid is one component of the highly effective painkiller aspirin, but Yarrow has the advantage of being able to be applied topically for localized pain relief. It also possesses anti-inflammatory actions, as well as antiseptic properties, making it well-suited to treating traumatic wounds that may have both an infective and painful aspect.
9. Marjoram Oil
Marjoram oil is an effective inflammation reducing agent when applied to muscles or joints, but can also be used effectively to relieve headaches as well.
Interestingly, it also possesses antispasmodic action, which can be applied to various parts of the body to ease the twitching. If you’ve ever experienced a painful calf muscle spasm or cramp, quickly reaching for and applying marjoram oil can help minimize your discomfort.
10. Black Pepper Essential Oil
Black pepper only contains a small amount of capsaicin, usually not enough to elicit significant pain reducing action. However, when the essential oil is applied to the body, it is still able to elevate body temperature and give out warming sensation.
There is a reason why application of a warm water compress helps to relieve pain, especially if muscular in origin, as heat relaxes muscles and calms spasms.
Combining black pepper essential oil with others is also great idea as it may help promote penetration of the other oils through the skin.
11. Clary Sage Oil
Clary Sage oil is best suited for relieving pain that is muscular in nature, and for also helping to treat tension headaches.
Though it is not as effective as chamomile or lavender oil for relieving stress and anxiety, it can still do so albeit to a lesser extent.
12. Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose oil has been heavily marketed as a natural remedy for easing the symptoms associated with menopause, among which pain is also included.
However, it can also be used to treat painful cramps associated with PMS, and can be consumed or applied topically. It is also said to have the potential for relieving breast pain, by an action at the estrogen receptor.
13. Flaxseed Oil
We all know that consuming flaxseed oil is good for you, as it possesses Omega-3 fats that positively influence many aspects of your health.
Amongst these is easing discomfort associated with arthritic disease, as well as other pain mediated conditions that have an inflammatory component.
Application of the oil is also acceptable, but in this case, oil consumption is actually superior.
Conclusion
There are tons of other essential oils available on the market today that helps to exert analgesic actions to different extents.
However, the ones mentioned above are great places to start for rapid relief. Just keep in mind that when it comes essential oils, you should not apply or consume more than advised.
Caution
Most of the essential oils referenced above require dilution in carrier oils such as coconut or jojoba. This is to minimize the risk of allergic reactions, skin sensitivity or even burns that may be experienced from the potent oils.
Always be sure to determine if your oil is suitable for consumption, and if it requires that you dilute it prior to application.