Valerie Worwood’s The Fragrant Pharmacy is one of my bibles for learning about essential oils. Since I discovered essential oils and aromatherapy, I’ve been developing my own recipes. Often, I’ll amend a recipe to just one or two oils that I have on hand.
Itchy Skin and Feet
Either use a few drops of undiluted tea tree oil on the affected area, or massage with a drop of tea tree oil in a teaspoon of vegetable oil if there are issues with sensitive skin.
Cuts
Stanch an open wound with lavender oil on a cotton ball. Bandage a cut with a drop of lavender oil on the gauze, changing the dressing morning and night, and leave the wound uncovered as much as possible from the third day onward.
Bruises
Add two drops of lavender oil and two drops of rosemary oil to a bowl of hot water and the same to a bowl of cold water. Alternately apply to the bruised area a washcloth soaked in the hot infusion and one soaked in the cold infusion.
Burns
Leave the area where the burn is under running cold water for fifteen minutes, then apply two drops of neat (undiluted) lavender oil to the burn. Cover the area with a gauze compress soaked in cold water and three drops of lavender oil.
Boils
Add three drops of lavender oil and three drops of tea tree oil to a small bowl of hot water and bathe the area twice a day.
Chest Coughs
Prepare a bowl of boiling water for steam inhalation with one drop of rosemary, two drops of peppermint, and one drop of eucalyptus, draping a towel over your head to create a tent for the steam. Make massage oil for chest and back with one drop of lavender, three drops of rosemary, four drops of eucalyptus, and one drop of thyme in a level tablespoon of a vegetable base oil.
Dry Hacking Cough
Make a honey and lemon hot toddy, adding one drop of eucalyptus essential oil. Massage chest and back with two drops each of eucalyptus and thyme in a level tablespoon of a vegetable base oil. For a head steam, add either two drops of lavender or two drops of eucalyptus to the hot water.
Cold Sores
Apply tea tree oil directly to the sore morning and night.
Colds
Make a bowl of hot water for inhalation with one drop each of thyme, lavender, and eucalyptus oils. For a hot bath, add two drops each of thyme, lavender, and tea tree oil. Soak in the bath, relaxing your muscles and breathing deeply.
Upset Stomach
Always be sure to drink a lot of water when you are afflicted with a digestive malady, being careful not to chug it. If the cause is related to what food you ate, make a drink with a teaspoon of honey and a drop of peppermint oil in warm water. If you think you have a virus or nervous tummy, make a drink with warm water, a teaspoon of honey, and a drop of eucalyptus oil.
Headache
For a general headache, massage temples with a drop of either lavender or peppermint oil, or both together. You can also use rosemary or clove oil, but you will need to experiment, as some essentials will work better for you than others. If the headache is related to an upset tummy, mix a drop of peppermint oil with a teaspoon of honey dissolved in a cup of warm water and sip slowly.
Toothache
Place one drop of clove oil on a cotton swab and apply directly to the tooth and the surrounding gum. If you have a decayed tooth waiting to be treated, apply a paste made of goldenseal powder and water to the affected area. It tastes bitter but will prevent an infection from setting in until you can see a dentist.
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