Top 3 Essential Oils for Natural Pain Relief

Essential oils are used for a variety of conditions and general health. Specific essential oils are used for natural pain relief, chronic or acute, and to decrease inflammation.  There are many other uses for essential oils from pregnancy and childbirth massage to reducing stress and anxiety.

Essential oils are most commonly extracted from the plant, vegetable, or fruit via distillation or expression (cold pressing).

Most common carrier oils for essential oil blends

Essential oil blends are blended with a carrier oil for dilution purposes. Diluting the oils also helps to avoid skin irritation when applied to the skin.

The most used carrier oils for essential oil blends are olive, avocado, coconut, and almond oils. You can read more about the various plant carrier oils and their roles as carriers here.

Ratios of essential oils to carrier oils:

The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), offers the following dilution guidelines:

For young children:
.5-1% dilution = 3-6 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil

For adults:
2.5% dilution = 15 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil
3% dilution = 20 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil
5% dilution = 30 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil
10% dilution = 60 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier oil

Methods of Application

There are various methods of essential oil use and application based on your need. For natural pain relief, you will see the greatest results by applying a cream or topical rub or using a roll-on method. You will use the essential oils along with your preferred carrier oil to create a blend.

Other methods of essential oil application include:

• Diffusing
• Aromatic spray
• Lotions and oils
• Baths
• Steam inhalation

Top 3 Essential Oils for Natural Pain Relief

These three essential oils are known for their calming effect on inflammation as well as chronic and acute pain. When mixed with a carrier oil and applied topically, the result is incredible. The oils work together to reduce inflammation and act as a natural pain relief method.

1. Frankincense: Frankincense is distilled and dried from frankincense tree resin. The tree grows in Africa and the Middle East. It is an earthy and woody oil known to treat many ailments, including pain. It is a natural pain relief method, especially combined with the other two essential oils included below.
2. Copaiba: Copaiba is derived from the copaiba tree, native to South America. It is steam distilled and dried to create the oil. The most impressive benefit is its effect on inflammation, especially joint inflammation.
3. Spruce-Fir: Also called black spruce or black pine, spruce-fir is steam distilled and dried from the evergreen tree native to North America. It is a woodsy and earthy scent and gives a warming sensation when used topically for pain relief.

The effect of these three essential oils is so strong, they are commonly referred to as the “morphine bomb” (without the morphine of course). Give it a try on your inflamed joints! You can use the above dilution recommendations to create your topical cream or rub-on oil.

There are additional oils that offer natural pain relief such as lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, yarrow, and rosemary. You can try experimenting by substituting or creating your own blend by using an essential oil with a carrier oil.

A few general notes about essential oils:

• Some essential oils are not safe to use around babies or pets.
• Work with an expert aromatherapist or western medicine practitioner for the safest application, especially if taking internally to ensure you don’t have underlying conditions that may cause adverse reactions.
• Do not use without diluting them in a carrier oil first.
• Only purchase essential oils from reputable companies that sustainably harvest the best quality herbs and plants. The company should be willing to share its quality control and harvesting process. Watch out for oils that contain fillers. You will want to purchase the oils in their purest forms and add the carrier oils yourself to dilute them to the proper level.

Sources:

National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy | https://naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/about-aromatherapy/methods-of-application/

Mountain Rose Herbs | https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/