If you’re suffering from a sore throat, you don’t have to rely on lozenges or sprays - you can also go the natural route. Using essential oils for sore throats has proven to be very beneficial in numerous cases, and there’s scientific research that backs up why.
In this guide, you’ll find out everything you need to know about using essential oils for sore throats. From understanding how these oils calm inflammation and reduce pain to how best to use them in the safest, most effective manner - it’s all here.
How to use essential oils for sore throat
Essential oils are produced by steam or water distillation from the bark, flowers, leaves and stems of certain plants or by cold pressing the rinds of citrus fruits. The fragrant compounds that are extracted protect plants from predators like bacteria and fungi and attract insects, which allows for pollination. When they’ve been made into essential oils, they help to kill germs, reduce inflammation and speed up the healing process in humans (and some pets!). This is why so many people rely on essential oils for sore throats.
As with most things, one size doesn’t fit all when using essential oils. That’s why we’ve outlined several ways to make the most of them. Just bear in mind that, although you can inhale undiluted essential oils, they're very potent substances and have to be diluted with a carrier oil if you’re going to apply them to your skin or add them to your bath.
For adults using essential oils for a sore throat, a 2.5% dilution is recommended, which translates into 4 drops of essential oil per 4 tablespoons (15 ml) of carrier oil.
Once you’ve diluted the oil, do a patch test to ensure you don’t have a reaction to the mix and, if not, you can start using your dilution for whatever you need.
Try the following ways of using essential oils to see what works best for you:
In your bath
Add a few drops of your essential oil/carrier oil mix to a hot bath to let it do its work of getting you healthy again. Bathing with essential oils gives you the best of its inhalation benefits as well as those that come from applying them topically. This is a very efficient way to use essential oils for a sore throat.
Compresses
Create a hot or cold compress using a cotton pad or washcloth. Add a few drops of your essential oil/carrier oil mix and lay it over your throat to help relieve some of your pain.
Diffusion
Add a couple of drops of one of the 100% pure and organic Volant essential oils recommended in this article to your diffuser. The diffuser will disperse the oil into the air throughout your space where you’ll breathe it in. This method is a great way to use essential oils for sore throat. You can get household or work tasks done while you naturally inhale the oils.
Experimenting with oils for sore throats will help you find the ones that work best for you or help you come up with your favorite sore throat diffuser blend.
Inhalation
Your favorite sore throat diffuser blend is the most common method of inhalation. But there are many different ways to let essential oils do their work as you inhale them. When you’re using oils for a sore throat, you can breathe in their scent directly from the bottle, which is great when you’re out and about, at work or at school. You could also put a few drops on a towel, put some on a cotton ball or tissue, or add oil to a bowl of steaming hot water and lean over it to inhale deeply.
Just be sure to keep undiluted oil away from your skin because it can cause irritation.
Massage
Massage your diluted essential oil/carrier oil mix onto your throat, chest and back. The oils will be absorbed into your body through your skin, and you’ll also be able to inhale the aroma, giving your sore throat a one-two punch.
Top essential oils for a sore throat
The antibacterial and antiviral properties of essential oils make them a good alternative medicine for battling the infection that’s causing your sore throat. Their immunostimulatory properties will boost your overall system and they may help to stop the infection in its tracks, preventing a simple sore throat from turning into a full-blown illness.
Our list of essential oils for sore throats features several well-known oils that are all reliable and can make a difference if you purchase them from a reputable supplier.
The oils on this list are all available from us at Volant where we pride ourselves on delivering ethically sourced, sustainably produced, 100% organic essential oils.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is one of the most popular essential oils to diffuse for sore throats, and for good reason.
The leaves of this tree have long been used as an antiseptic to treat colds, coughs and sore throats. More recent research has revealed that eucalyptus essential oil can also be effective when treating the kinds of respiratory tract infections that give you a sore throat.
This essential oil is capable of antimicrobial action and it’s very effective against the kinds of sore throats that are caused by staph and strep, which are both types of gram-positive bacteria.
