Arthritis and other Joint Pain using essential oils and blends for relief

by Penny Keay

For those who suffer from arthritis pain, all you can think of is what can I do to get some relief?

What kind of arthritis home remedy can I use?

Or is there some type of a natural arthritis treatment I could try?

Arthritis can be caused from many things and in translation means "Inflammation of the Joints".

There are several types of arthritis with the most common form being osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis and gout are also very common. The pain can involve one joint or many.

Natural remedies for joint pain can also help to give relief for these types of arthritis.

The pain is often times accompanied by swelling, redness, tenderness and stiffness of the joints. For most folks you need to keep moving the joints to “keep” them moving freely.

The pain is what causes most people to refrain from physical activities. Often times not using and not moving actually makes the problem worse. The old adage “Use it or Lose it” pertains to not moving these joints also.

There are many essential oils and blends that might help relieve the pain and inflammation of the joints. Again, it may be a trial and error to find a combination that will work best for you. As would any type of alternative treatment for arthritis.

One thing to look at is your diet. Some folks have problems with certain types of food.

Research has shown that plants from the nightshade family can trigger an arthritis-like inflammation in joints. Avoiding green peppers, raw or cooked potatoes and even tomatoes may make a big difference in how your joints feel.

Also many folks do not get enough Magnesium, Potassium or have an imbalance of minerals that can cause cramps and other muscle soreness.

Adding Magnesium Chloride to your bath or in a foot bath could help too.

Epsom Salts aka Magnesium Sulfate is another popular magnesium salt that can help especially if muscle, tendons in the joints have been sprained or strained.

As always, consult your doctor if you are on special medications and to get approval to try aromatherapy.

Did you ever notice that when you have a sore muscle or joint you are always touching it and rubbing it gently?

This is your body doing something very natural to encourage increased blood flow to the affected areas.

Increased blood flow warms the surrounding tissue and this increase helps joints and muscles to move more easily.

There are several oils you may want to try, many of them have heating properties among many other helpful properties.

This list is not all-inclusive. There may be other essential oils that work for your particular situation. We suggest you try a combination of the two or three of those listed to make your own blends. Don’t forget to write your recipes down.

Eucalyptus globulus, Peppermint Cedarwood, Lavender, Nutmeg, Yarrow, Clove bud, Sage, Rosemary, Sweet Marjoram, Black Pepper, Juniper berry, Bay laurel Cinnamon leaf

Keep it Movin' blend may be just what you are need.

Essential oils should not be applied directly to the skin but should be mixed with your favorite carrier oil.

Start with a 1% dilution increasing to as high as a 5% if needed. Massage into the affected areas 2 or more times daily.

To make a 1% dilution mix 6 drops of essential oil to 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of carrier oil or lotion such as our Hand and Body Lotion.

As for carrier oils there are a few to consider when making your arthritis blend. Castor oil, Tamanu oil and any oil you have on hand.

All of these appear to have helped several folks with arthritis and joint pain. Castor oil and Tamanu oil should be mixed at about 10% with other carrier oil.

Most all other oils can be used at 100%, however if it is a heavier (thicker)it may not massage in as well.

Blending any of these with Jojoba or Fractionated coconut oil will make for a nice massage oil.

Currently we have a customer that says Clove bud mixed with carrier oil and massaged into her knee, gives her relief.

If you want to try this, mix 12 drops of Clove bud in 2 ounces of your favorite carrier oil. Don't mix it any stronger as Clove bud can be a skin irritant. This is a 1% dilution and is plenty strong.

One of my favorite blends is made with

Peppermint, Ginger, Black Pepper, Juniper berry and Eucalyptus globulus essential oils.

I put 15-20 drops of each of these oils in a 4 ounce PET plastic bottle then add carrier oil to fill the bottle. Blend well

This blend works great along your spinal column of your back. Especially if you have several areas that have deteriorated and now arthritis is found along your whole spinal column.

This is a high concentrated blend at near 5% essential oils. This blend is not meant for a whole body or whole back massage.

This blend works very well on any specific area of the back, neck, shoulder and more areas that are tight, sore or painful.

You only need a small amount to massage into those areas. Test it first before using a large amount. It will be very warming.

Using essential oils in Epsom salts bath

These can also help give relief. Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate) helps to relax tense muscles that may be causing more joint distress.

It is also a type of detoxifier and may help eliminate any variety of toxins your body has accumulated.

Here is a recipe for a wonderful bath for arthritic joints. Don’t forget to add a couple cups or more Epsom Salt or our Basic bath salt to the tub too. The oils in the bath are also a wonderful combination for relaxation. Enjoy!

Arthritic joint Soaking Bath

Juniper berry - 4 drops
Lavender - 2 drops
Cypress - 2 drops
Rosemary - 2 drops
Epsom Salts aka Magnesium Sulfate 2 cups

Add this blend to a bath while filling or just after filling tub, swish the water around so the salts dissolve. Then soak for 20-30 minutes.

If you would like to have the essential oils actually blend in with the water then you will need to first mix them with an emulsifier. It is not necessary though.

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Warming Massage blend especially good for sore Joints as in Arthritis

Roman Chamomile - 6 drops
Sweet Marjoram - 4 drops
Coriander - 3 drops
Rosemary - 3 drops
The V'nilla's or Vanilla- 2 drops
Black Pepper - 1 drop
Ginger - 1 drop
2 ounces of carrier oil of your choice.
(See the above notes about using Castor oil, Tamanu oil or Sesame oil in your carrier oils)

Blend well in a plastic or glass bottle. Massage daily into legs, knees or other sore joints.

We have many, many recipes for muscle and joint pain in our Recipes Index. You may want to look through those recipes to see if you can find a few that might work better for you as you pursue your natural home treatments for arthritis.

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Another Ache and Pain Massage Blend

Sweet Marjoram – 20 drops
Cinnamon leaf – 15 drops
Lavender – 15 drops
Peppermint – 10 drops
Fractionated coconut oil – 2 ounces

Blend all together in a PET plastic bottle. Use on any sore or painful area. Although this blend can be used on large areas, it is better used on specific areas. If you want to use it on larger areas, you need to dilute it further by adding another 2 ounces of carrier oil.

If you do not feel like blending your own massage blends, then you could try any of our “Fresh for You” pre-blended massage oils these all work great on muscles too. Super Back Rub, Joint Rub, Muscle Rub, Muscle Relaxing, and many other massage oils. Check out our massage blends page for other suggestions.

Also here is a list of essential oils that can help with overall joint pain relief.

They are the General analgesic essential oils and they include: The Chamomiles, both Roman and German, Clove bud, Eucalyptus globulus, Helichrysum, Bay laurel, Juniper berry, Black Pepper, Lavender, Sweet Marjoram, Niaouli, Peppermint, Spearmint, Oregano and Thyme.

These are the most commonly used although there are probably over two dozen more that have analgesic properties and may work better for some folks.

And since inflammation goes hand in hand with Arthritis, any of the following essential oils may be beneficial to add to your massage oil or lotion:

Basil, Yarrow, Helichrysum, Lavender, German Chamomile, Fennel, Myrrh, Frankincense, Rose, Sandalwood, Clary Sage, Blue Tansy.

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Special Note about Sweet Birch & Wintergreen:

Although these are fantastic at dealing with pain. They really should not be used for chronic painful ailments. Both are comprised of 98% or higher of methyl salicylate. Methyl salicylates need to be eliminated from the body.

Unfortunately the organ that is used for detoxing is the liver. Methyl salicylates are very hard for the liver to break down to remove from the body. They instead will accumulate and overtime could cause serious damage to your liver.

Therefore we suggest that you limit your use of these two oils to ‘acute’, short term usage. There are plenty of other essential oils you can use long term that will give you relief from pain and will not harm your liver.

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Please do not use my information without my permission.

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