Influenza – the big bad ‘flu’ bug – will it get you this year?

by Penny Keay

Are you ready for this years big bad flu bug?

Of course, you and I have been exposed to flu viruses before and will undoubtedly be again.

The number one question we have been asked the past few days is “What essential oils should we be using?”

Next we are seeing:
What can you do now before exposure?
And what should we do once the “flu” has been reported in your area?
And what do you do once you have actually been exposed?

First you must remember Influenza is a virus and there are several essential oils that have, in the past, been shown to work against viruses.

You might ask will they work specifically against this year’s virus.

Well, we can’t answer that as we don’t know. All we can go by is what has worked in the past for other upper respiratory infections caused by flu viruses.

Number one is PREVENTION.

So to be sure you are washing your hands frequently and avoid touching your face while out in public. Any Soap will help to kill germs and viruses and of course will reduce the number of germs on your skin.

The following essential oils have been helpful against upper respiratory viral infections:

Most common: Eucalyptus oils – just about all of them with the following being the most effective. Eucalyptus globulus, E. Polybractea and E. Radiata, Oregano, Thyme, Cinnamon leaf.

The next group: Bay laurel, Clove bud, Lemon Myrtle, Niaouli, Ravensara, Ravintsara, Rosemary and Sage.

Others to lesser degrees include: not in any specific order – Lemon, Lime, Melissa, Palmarosa, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Patchouli, Rose, Rosewood, Tarragon, Myrrh, Coriander, Basil, Cajeput, Ginger and Hyssop.

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Several of these oils work better against specific virus types but many of them work against the majority of all viruses to varying degrees. We personally have seen many of them work against “flus” and colds and related viral infections.

These same oils are found in many of our popular blends used for such ailments- such as our Four Robbers blend, Pure Cleansing blend; Easy Breathe Blend; Protect Me! Blend and and Scratches and Boo Boo’s blend.

Also for symptomatic relief folks are using

Respiratory Blend, Easy Breathe Blend; and even Allergy Tamer blend.

Our suggestion as a PREVENTION is to start now by diffusing either Four Robbers blend or Pure Cleansing blends.

You can of course diffuse any of the singly listed oils from above but some of the better ones for use against viruses just don’t smell very pleasant. The Four Robbers blend and Pure Cleansing blends have nice scents that are not too medicinal in nature.

At work you may want to carry a Personal inhaler filled with Four Robbers blend and Pure Cleansing blend – yes you can mix the two blends. You’ll have an even more powerful synergy blend. Simply inhale a few times every couple hours. It is as simple as that.

Now, at the first sign of a cold or flu, diffusing our Four Robbers blend and our Pure Cleansing blends which contain a significant blend of the essential oils known to be effective against viruses can often times nip the infections in the bud or help reduce the severity of the condition.

Of course any of the single oils from the list above, especially the Eucalyptus oils, Oregano, Thyme and Cinnamon leaf are very good to diffuse too. You don’t need to diffuse a lot in the air.

Diffusing any essential oil will help. Winter's Warmth blend has Cinnamon leaf and Clove bud in it and they are great at fighting air born germs. And the best part it smells very festive this time of year.

In the meantime, if you feel like you might be getting ill, stay home, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and remember to diffuse and use your Essential oils safely!

Avoiding ill people

if at all possible and if not, use essential oils to help you keep your immune system strong to help fight off t

Other essential oils found to have antiviral properties as found in several of our reference resources include (not listed in any particular order):

Black Pepper, Cinnamon leaf, Clove bud, Cypress, Eucalyptus globulus, Hyssop, Lavender, Oregano, Peppermint , Rosemary, Bay laurel, Niaouli, Tea Tree, Sandalwood, Thyme - linalool, Pine needle, and Sweet Marjoram.

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Our personal preference is using our Pure Cleansing blend and Four Robbers blend and don’t forget we also have an Organic Four Robbers for those folks that prefer using an all organic essential oil blend.

Pure Cleansing blend is a blend of Eucalyptus globulus, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Cinnamon Leaf and Thyme - linalool.

Four Robbers blend has Clove bud, Lemon, Cinnamon Leaf/Bark, Eucalyptus globulus, Rosemary as its main list of essential oils.

These blends have helped us fend off the flu, colds and other symptoms many, many times over during the past few years.

We can't say we never had or get the flu or colds. If we feel like we were getting ill after being exposed to those around us that were, we would begin using our essential oils and typically only felt a little ill for a day or so.

Unlike those around us that were out sick (down in bed) for several days to a week. Did we get sick? Nope!! Just felt a little under the weather a couple of times.

These blends of essential oils are our first defense against the flu. You might want to think about having these handy too.

There are several essential oils that may be helpful and give you comforting relief if you or your family should be inflicted by the flu or a cold.

One of the ways essential oils may help is to by giving you a little relief of the unpleasant symptoms of the common cold and flu.

Congestion, chills, muscle aches, pains including headaches, sore throats, and fevers.

Once you have any of the above symptoms you should be able to find essential oils that will help you feel more comfortable and speed you along at recovery.

Please visit our Health & Beauty Index and our Past Newsletters. (Links provided below).

They will cover several of these ailments in more detail and will include several essential oils and recipes that may be of help.

Always scary, would be an epidemic of a very fast moving virus. The best advice here is to avoid those that have become ill. Hopefully they will stay home and away from the public eye.

Then use essential oils by continually diffusing them into the air. Doing this in your home during a flu or cold outbreak is also a very good idea.

Once you have symptoms, treat them as desired and selectively with essential oils. Do not overuse essential oils. Stop using essential oils once you are well. Typically, using essential oils and synergy blends should shorten the duration of your illness if you have a fairly strong immune system to begin with.

All the products listed in the article are available at our Shopping Site - see link below.

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© 2011, 2015, 2017 Penny Keay All rights reserved Worldwide.
Please do not use my information without my permission.

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