Essential Oils for the Respiratory System

The latest fires that are raging in BC have made me think about what essential oils we could use to help alleviate the potential damage to the respiratory system inhalation of smoke could do.

As I understand it the smoke that is inhaled can cause damage to the body in a number of ways.

1. The smoke carried into the body by hot air can actually damage or destroy tissue in the mouth, nose and upper respiratory system.
2. Smoke can also cause damage by irritating tissues. Materials found in smoke can be toxic to the cells or they can cause physical damage by rubbing across the tissues.
3. Smoke cuts off the supply of oxygen to the body and therefor can starve the body of the oxygen needed to remain alive and function normally.

First and foremost it is important to make sure that anyone exposed to smoke inhalation is getting enough oxygen into their system. If they are breathing easily this is simple enough to do, if they are wheezing their airway may be blocked or restricted and they will need a bronchodilator to help the muscles of the respiratory system to relax so that the oxygen can get through.

We certainly have a number of essential oils that could help to relax and soothe the respiratory system and using these in any form for inhaling such as a personal inhaler, diffuser, mister etc could be helpful in the recovery of the system. Essential oils to help boost tissue repair and the immune system could also be added.

Oils that have an antispasmodic action include: bergamot, cajeput, cedarwood, chamomile, cypress and thyme.
Oils that have a soothing action include: benzoin, frankincense and myrrh.

People faced with losing homes and businesses due to these disasters are probably dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety and they could also benefit from many of the emotional properties of the essential oils. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Mini profiles for many of these oils can be found on the Articles Archive Page of our main website.

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