In addition to preventing allergies by sinus rinsing, another great way to treat seasonal allergies without medication is by using essential oils. When I initially researched using essential oils for my allergies, I came across the following recipe:
Honey Lavender Allergy remedy
1 tbsp local honey
1-2 drops of food-grade Lavender essential oil
I put it on a spoon and swallow it. My kids actually LOVE this so much that my son lies about having allergies so that he can have it.
Two caveats to this recipe:
1) Make certain that the essential oil you are using is graded FS (Food Safe) or GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) by the FDA. Most oils you buy at a retail store will say “aromatherapy use only” – do not take these oils internally. Of course, you know that I sell Young Living oils. YL’s Lavender is rated FS and GRAS by the FDA. Another brand that is FS/GRAS is DoTerra.
2) You want to make sure that you use honey from local bees. This is because the pollen they collect is from the local species of trees and flowers to which you are having a reaction. Having the pollen of plants from another area or state is not very helpful in assisting your body with the allergic reaction to local plants.
We have been using the above recipe with a great deal of success, but when allergens got really bad it wasn’t enough for me. I was still getting sinus headaches.
One day a friend of mine who had just bought some Lavender oil from me through Young Living texted me saying she’d accidentally swallowed 5-6 drops of Lavender, instead of 1-2, when making the Honey Lavender remedy. She was worried that might be too much. I didn’t think it sounded like too much but told her to look out for diarrhea, which can occur when you ingest too much of an essential oil. Then she texted back a short while later saying that her allergic reaction was really gone (and no potty related side effects)! As a result, I started doing this myself intentionally.
Stronger Allergy Remedy: 5-6 drops of Lavender essential oil
This one tastes TERRIBLE, I am not going to lie. Have a glass of something next to you that you can eat or drink. I suggest a cookie and some water or lemon or honey tea.
I also researched other allergy remedies using my essential oils reference book and found this one:
Topical Essential Oil Allergy Remedy
1 drop Lavender oil – apply to the base of the throat
1 drop Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil – apply to the base of the throat shortly after the Lavender
Apply each and tap with your finger pads over the area where applied and then tap right over your heart. This is the thymus area, and tapping on it is supposed to activate your immune responses, which are stimulated by the Lavender and Tea Tree oils. I have no idea if this is true, but I know that when I did this it helped my allergies!
Now, go forth and conquer this weather. Let me know if you try these remedies and they work as well for you as they did for me!
Great tips! I’m a doTERRA user myself, but I love to see people reference the “true” essential oils – not just the grocery store variety. I would like to share this with my readers. http://www.myessential8.com
Sure, maybe we could set it up in guest post format? Feel free to email me at jenny(at)conscientiousconfusion(dot)com and we can talk! Loving reading your blog too!
Your claim about the local bees sounds a little dubious. Do you have any studies to back this claim? I have found that most claims about essential oils aren’t supported by science.
http://www.thecollapsedwavefunction.com/2012/10/restore-your-bodys-natural-energy.html
Local honey is not an essential oil claim, it is a homeopathic remedy, since honey is not an essential oil. The practice of homeopathy is based on the theory that if you give your body a small dose of whatever it is reacting to, you are allowing it to build up resistance/immunity to conquer the imbalance and bring it back into balance. Ingesting local pollens is giving your body an opportunity to build up resistance to the pollens. However, as with most homeopathic remedies, the honey/allergy is not accepted by a lot of people. I personally don’t care if anyone accepts it or not. I mainly use the honey to disguise the Lavender taste, since Lavender essential oil tastes disgusting.
As for essential oils science, there have been several studies done that are referred to in the Essential Oils Desk Reference book which can be found on Amazon. There is, however, not nearly the amount of money behind essential oils and homeopathy practice organizations as there are in the Big Medicine and Chemical lobby, so the majority of allergy studies are done by large allergy medication companies on the effects of their own medicines, not on natural solutions.
For me, it is less about science. I am interested in 2 things:
1) The effectiveness of the solution – these solutions actually do work for me, and that is why I use them.
2) Avoiding potentially harmful and unregulated chemicals going into my body – the number of chemicals in over-the-counter medications is astounding and very few of them actually require regulation or testing (having been manufactured in China or other unknown locations). The overall recipe of the medications have been approved by the FDA as “not harmful when taken as instructed” but that doesn’t mean they are beneficial or that every batch of the medication contains pure or safe chemical components. Preservatives, artificial colors, and other additives are also things that I am not interested in ingesting.
The ingredients of Lavender essential oil, for example are: Lavender. Period. I know what is in it and I can actually even pinpoint the Young Living farm where the Lavender was grown and where it was processed before it came directly to me. It is a plant and it was processed using only water, there were no chemicals involved.
So that’s where I am coming from. As always on this blog, I provide information and my opinion but honestly I don’t really care if someone disagrees with me as long as they’re being civil. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
These are great suggestions. I am a doTERRA user as well but like Sarah said it’s nice to have others warn about using the brands available in the store.
One of the things that I have heard works really well for allergies is doing 1-2 drops each of lavender, lemon, and peppermint in a veggie capsule and take internally. For some of my friends it has done wonders for them!