When we get cough, we take a cough syrup. Our head hurts, and we take aspirin. Do you have a skin infection? Take an antibiotic. How about a sports injury? Pain killers are on the list…
The list goes on and o
n. We live in a society that is highly medicalized. There are chemical medicines for every ailment, even for those you didn’t know existed.
Before medicines made in the lab existed, people used plants and plant extracts to cure and treat almost everything. Today, we can continue to use natural cures to some of the more common discomforts thanks to essential oils.
Of course, this isn’t to say that conventional medicine doesn’t have its merits. Many medical advances are necessary to regain health and live a good quality of life, especially for serious illnesses.
Nonetheless, why take pills and syrups when you can feel better with natural oils?
Here are some essential oils you should always keep in your medicine cabinet.
- Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic. You can use it to treat wounds and cuts you might have gotten from your weekend hike or to treat abrasions. It can also be used to treat bug bites, bacterial infections and fungal infections (no more athlete’s foot!).
The antibacterial action of tea tree oil is so effective that studies have shown that it can even be used to , and is even .
- Peppermint oil
Many people often use peppermint tea as a home remedy for an upset stomach, so to many it might seem logical that peppermint essential oil could help in this area. While the mechanism of action is not exactl
y known, clinical trials demonstrate that peppermint oil can alleviate symptoms of gastrointestinal issues as serious as (IBS).
Also, when combined with eucalyptus oil and (diluted) on the temple area, it has been known to reduce headaches, improve cognitive performance, and relax muscles.
Lemon oil
Whether it’s because you are nervous for a big game coming up, 
are in the first months of pregnancy, or hate the smell of cleaning products, feeling nauseous is not fun.
Anecdotal evidence circulated for years about the use of lemon and lemon essential oil to help stave off nausea and the impulse to vomit. Now, ! You can keep a bottle of lemon oil in your purse and inhale slowly (making sure not to put it right up to your nose). The feeling of nausea should go away shortly after that.
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It has become an automatic impulse to stroll into a pharmacy to buy some over-the-counter pills or syrups when we are feeling ill. It turns out, however, that if you have an essential oil first aid kit, you will be able to effectively treat com of the most common ailments, compl
