Oils for inhalation

Inhalations are part of the therapy for various respiratory diseases, and natural essential oils for inhalation, containing biologically active compounds with medicinal properties, are best suited.

Around three dozen essential oils – with proven clinical efficacy – are officially recognized by the European Pharmacopoeia, and these include oils that are often used to treat respiratory diseases, not only in complementary medicine.

Indications for the procedure

The main indications for inhalation of essential oils include colds and flu with cough, rhinitis and sore throat, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, laryngitis, tracheitis, laryngotracheitis and tracheobronchitis, epiglottitis, pharyngitis, peritonsillar abscesses; inflammation of the paranasal sinuses (sinusitis).

Inhalations with essential oils are used for inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, primarily as an auxiliary method for treating cough in acute and chronic bronchitis and bronchiolitis, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia.

Essential oils contain terpenes and terpenoids, sesquiterpene lactones, esters of carboxylic acids, phenylpropanoids and other compounds. The composition of essential oils determines their complex effects: by inhalation - when breathing in - biologically active substances pass through the trachea into the bronchi, and from there into the bronchioles and alveoli of the lungs (where the blood is enriched with oxygen).

Thus, the smallest molecules, easily reaching all parts of the respiratory tract, help fight viral and bacterial infections, relieve inflammation and symptoms such as cough, runny nose and sore throat.

In addition, inhaled essential oil substances can enter the bloodstream and have a calming or tonic effect on the central nervous system.

Oils are used for inhalation for dry cough and runny nose:

• Inhalations for dry cough
• Essential oils for colds

Essential oils with mucolytic and expectorant effects for inhalation in case of bronchitis: Oils for the treatment of bronchitis.

Anti-inflammatory oils for inhalation for the throat are discussed in detail in the material - Use of essential oils for sore throats.

What oils are used for inhalation?

If the cough is dry, it is recommended to use essential oils of eucalyptus, peppermint, oregano, tea and clove trees, basil, and frankincense. When the cough becomes wet, oils that act as expectorants will help: Atlas cedar, Scots pine, rosemary, peppermint, thyme (creeping thyme), bay laurel, tea tree, and the same spherical eucalyptus.

Essential oils for nasal inhalation - fir, cedar, cypress, eucalyptus, mint - are not only strong antiseptics, but also work as decongestants, that is, they relieve swelling of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity. For more details, see - Treatment of a runny nose with inhalations.

Eucalyptus oil for inhalation is valued for its antiviral and antimicrobial properties and anti-inflammatory activity, which are provided by the cyclic ether - monoterpene 1,8-cineole or eucalyptol (which accounts for 73% of all chemical components of this oil). [ 1 ]

Inhalations with this oil ease and soothe cough in any respiratory diseases. And many experts believe that this is the best oil for inhalations, since not only its ability to relieve bronchial spasms and reduce the intensity of inflammatory processes (by blocking proinflammatory cytokines) has been proven, but also to destroy accumulated tracheobronchial secretions and cleanse the respiratory system.

Peppermint oil is based on terpenoids menthol and menthone (together – 65-87% of the composition); there is also 1,8-cineole (5-12%). Menthol, when inhaled, creates a cooling sensation that can soothe a sore throat and relieve nasal congestion. Peppermint oil for inhalation helps fight viral infections, improves mucociliary clearance of the respiratory tract and relaxes the muscles of the windpipe, making breathing easier when coughing. Menthone (terpene ketone) neutralizes the action of free radicals, that is, it is an antioxidant. [ 2 ]

Tea tree oil for inhalation for sore throat or cough is not much inferior to eucalyptus oil (although it contains 4.5 times less 1,8-cineole), and in terms of antiviral and antibacterial activity it is much higher than mint oil, since it contains almost 30% terpinen-4-ol. [ 3 ]

In acute bronchitis with unproductive cough, fir oil for inhalation weakens its attacks, and in productive cough, it facilitates the discharge of sputum and relieves bronchial spasms. [ 4 ]

Atlas cedar essential oil, used for inhalation for coughs, helps to liquefy phlegm, and for runny noses – thick nasal secretions. Rosemary essential oil has a similar effect, due to the high content of 1,8-cineole (almost 45% of the total composition).

Like the plants themselves, oregano and thyme essential oils contain powerful antibacterial components – the phenol-derived terpenes carvacrol and thymol. Many herbal cough remedies contain extracts of these medicinal herbs.

Essential oil of sage for inhalation, containing about 15% eucalyptol, as well as thujone (22-60%), alpha-pinene, borneol and camphor, is an effective expectorant. However, the predominance of the monoterpene ketone thujone, which has a negative effect on the central nervous system, limits the use of this essential oil, as it can cause convulsions. Therefore, this oil can only be used for so-called cold inhalations, when a few drops of oil are dripped onto a tampon and its vapors are inhaled. [ 5 ]

The essential oil blend of the Olbas brand and its synonym (produced in the Russian Federation) – Dyshi oil for inhalation – contains oils of peppermint, eucalyptus, juniper, clove tree, cajeput (a type of tea tree) and gualtheria, as well as L-menthol. The oil is intended for the prevention of respiratory infections: it is used by cold inhalation. The instructions for Dyshi oil indicate that it can be used by children from 12 months of age, however, clove oil is contraindicated for children under two years of age, and mint oil and L-menthol – for children under five years of age.

Some sources recommend using sea buckthorn oil for inhalation for sore throat, but this oil is not essential and does not contain volatile compounds (it contains omega fatty acids and carotenoids). It is more rational to lubricate the inflamed tonsils with this oil. Read more - Sea buckthorn oil for sore throat. [ 6 ]

Peach oil is no less problematic to use for inhalation – for the same reasons, but it can be used to lubricate the nasal passages when the mucous membrane in the nose is dry or to soften crusts in the nose when children have a runny nose. [ 7 ]

Oils for inhalation during pregnancy

Pregnant women are contraindicated to use essential oils for inhalation, such as juniper, clove and cajeput oils. In addition, peppermint, oregano, thyme, sage, fir, cedar, tea tree (due to the hormonal effect and neurotonic effect), cypress (in the first half of gestation) oils are not used during pregnancy.

More information in the article – Inhalations during pregnancy.

The list of essential oils that are contraindicated for nursing women is slightly shorter, but it should be remembered that sage essential oil reduces lactation.

Inhalation oils for children

The possibility of using oils for inhalation for children depends on their age, since the lobes of the lungs continue to grow until the age of three, and the bronchopulmonary system is fully formed only by the age of seven.

Essential oils are extremely potent substances, and their use for children requires special care. For safety reasons, it is contraindicated to use eucalyptus oil for inhalation until the age of one year (in some recommendations even until the age of three); until the age of two years – cloves; until the age of three years – fir; until the age of five years – thyme oil; until the age of five years – mint and rosemary oil; tea tree oil – until the age of 10 years, and oregano and cedar oils – until the age of 12 years.

How to do inhalations with essential oils

The healing properties of substances contained in essential oil molecules are revealed during evaporation, which is why hot steam inhalations are performed.

There should be a two-hour interval between eating and taking medications and the beginning of the procedure. All preparation consists of filling the container with hot water (for adults t +60°C, for children t +40°C), adding the appropriate number of drops of essential oil and then inhaling the vapors (bending your head over the container and covering it with a towel). When coughing, inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose; with rhinitis - vice versa.

The duration of the procedure, which is carried out once a day, for adults should not exceed five minutes, for children under seven years old - two minutes, under seven years old - one minute. And the course of treatment should not exceed three to five days (depending on the condition and the doctor's recommendations).

A single dose of essential oil added to water (per glass) is given in their instructions and is usually: for eucalyptus oil - 4/2 drops (adults/children); fir or cedar oil - 4/2; tea tree or thyme - 2/1; peppermint oil - 3/2; oregano - 2/1; cypress - 2/1.

Despite the primitiveness of this “technology”, it is effective, although doing such procedures with an inhaler is certainly more comfortable.

By the way, the inhaler for essential oils should be a steam or thermal evaporation one, or it can be a Makholda inhaler, designed for such procedures.

Experts advise to beware of incompetent recommendations to use essential oils for a compressor or ultrasonic nebulizer: they are not suitable for inhalation with essential oils, since there is no evaporation of volatile substances. More details in the publication - Inhalation for bronchitis with a nebulizer, as well as in the material - Inhalation for colds.

To disperse essential oils into the air of a room (so that they can be freely inhaled), there are household hot diffusers (which heat the oil, releasing its active ingredients) and cold diffusers - electropneumatic devices such as the Nebulizing Essential Oil Diffuser.

Contraindications for the procedure

Inhalations with essential oils have contraindications:

• increase in body temperature;
• increased sensitivity of the body and history of allergies;
• nosebleeds;
• coughing up bloody sputum;
• chronic cardiac and pulmonary diseases;
• post-stroke condition.

Inhalations are contraindicated:

• with eucalyptus oil - for bronchial asthma, whooping cough, high blood pressure, liver and biliary tract diseases;
• with peppermint oil – for bronchospasms, asthma and sleep disorders;
• with fir oil - for stomach ulcers, angina pectoris, kidney inflammation, epilepsy;
• with tea tree oil - for hypotension and disorders of the autonomic nervous system, as well as for hormone-dependent tumors;
• with cedar oil – for nephritis and neuroses;
• with sage oil - for very severe cough, kidney problems and epilepsy;
• with oregano and thyme oils – for cardiac arrhythmia and myocardial ischemia.

Consequences after the procedure

Most essential oils are rapidly absorbed after inhalation, can cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with receptors in the central nervous system, and then affect other functions. Although, as experts say, the accelerated metabolism and short half-life of the active compounds of essential oils minimize the risk of their accumulation in the tissues of the respiratory tract.

Negative consequences after the procedure - if essential oils are used incorrectly - may occur in the form of headaches, nausea, irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and allergic reactions, bronchospasm and asthma attacks, as well as the development of a sedative effect.

Dangerous respiratory complications are possible after the procedure using peppermint oil in the inhalation treatment of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract or bronchitis in children. Also, problems with breathing and the central nervous system in children can be caused by inhaling eucalyptus oil.

Post-procedure care

After inhaling essential oils, rinse your mouth thoroughly with warm water and wash your face.

Eating is possible no earlier than an hour and a half after inhalation. Also, for the same period of time, it is not recommended to drink water, talk loudly (straining the vocal cords), do physical exercises and walk (in cool weather).

Despite the positive reviews about the high efficiency of such procedures, it is necessary to resort to the use of essential oil for inhalation after consultation with a doctor and as prescribed by him.