Cold and flu season is in full swing!
Keeping a healthy immune system is always important, but these days we can all benefit from taking extra steps to support health and boost immunity. Let’s talk about three ways to boost your immune system, and three of the best essential oils for staying well.
Your body’s immunity is a complex, holistic response. It can’t always be isolated from the rest of your systems. For example, your immune health is tied to your sleep, stress levels, your diet, the supplements you take, inflammation (especially chronic inflammation), and more.
Other factors also impact your immune health, like how frequently you wash your hands, how often you’re exposed to germs, and if you use harsh chemical products in your home.
3 Key immune system health factors
We’re going to focus on three key health factors that affect your adaptive immune response:
- Getting enough rest
- Calming anxious feelings
- Supporting your respiratory system
You can use essential oils for immunity to help with each of these!
3 Key essential oils for immunity
There are so many essential oils that support immunity in different ways. For our three key health factors, we’ve narrowed the list down to three essential oils:
- Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Frankincense Oil (Boswellia carterii)
- Mandarin Oil (Citrus reticulata)
An essential oil to help get some rest!
The Mayo Clinic says that lack of sleep plays a big role in how strong your immune system is—and how resilient your health is overall.
“Studies show that people who don't get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.”
One reason is that when you sleep, your immune system releases proteins that your body needs more of for fighting an infection or inflammation. Not getting enough sleep reduces these important proteins, as well as antibodies and other infection-fighting cells.
If you’ve ever been sick or had a headache, and wondered why you sometimes feel better after a good night’s rest . . . that would be why!
Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia) is the most famous essential oil for supporting rest. Mountains of research prove that the components in lavender essential oil help calm the nervous system, allowing the body to release tension and calm stress hormones. It eases the mind out of the cycle of overthinking and worry. Lavender essential oil’s relaxing effects are just one reason why it’s one of our favorite essential oils for immunity.
Try this conifer and lavender lotion to help you get a good night’s rest when you’re under the weather. The conifer oils in this essential oil recipe complement lavender’s ability to soothe the nerves.
Calm anxious feelings
The American Psychological Association shared research proving that stress and anxiety have a serious impact on immune health.
“For stress of any significant duration—from a few days to a few months or years, as happens in real life—all aspects of immunity went downhill. Thus long-term or chronic stress, through too much wear and tear, can ravage the immune system.”
Even students studying for a three-day exam period saw a drop in their immunity! Other mental health issues, like depression and loneliness, had a similar effect.
Frankincense Oil (Boswellia carterii) is a classic for calming stress and anxious feelings. Frankincense essential oils have been used throughout history to create peaceful, serene states. Frankincense essential oil is so good at this that it’s always been regarded as sacred—sometimes only used for temples and shrines. And now that we understand frankincense essential oil’s ability to aid a strong immune system, it’s even more valuable!
If you sometimes feel overwhelmed by stress, spend a few minutes breathing with this Peace & Tranquility Inhaler. The essential oils in this DIY recipe can both help you relax, and protect your immune health.
Support breathing
What’s one of the first things you notice when your immune health takes a dive during cold and flu season? For many, it is respiratory illnesses.
You might wind up sniffling and sneezing, or with a nose so stuffy you feel like you can’t breathe freely. Maybe you even experience head tension and body aches. Not only is this uncomfortable—it can prevent you from getting that all-important, restorative sleep at night. And it can sap your energy during the day, meaning it will take even longer for your immune function to catch up with your body’s needs.
Mandarin Green Oil (Citrus reticulata) essential oil contains natural components that are amazing for supporting the breath! They can clear clogged energy out of the head, easing tension and allowing you to breathe easily. And animal studies on mandarin’s main component showed it contributed to the body’s immune response. There are different “colors” of mandarin essential oil: green and red. Both have the Latin name Citrus reticulata, and both are equally effective for immune system support.
If you’re in the early stages of feeling unwell, moisturize your skin with this DIY body oil. It’s made with mandarin and other essential oils for staying well.
Get more info on these 3 immunity powerhouse oils
We chose to share specific ways each of these three immune boosting essential oils can support your health. However . . . each one of them actually helps with all three issues! You learned a bit about how lavender oil can help you rest, but it’s also excellent for calming anxious feelings and helping you breathe clearly. Frankincense essential oil and mandarin essential oil are versatile in the same way. They’re true powerhouses of immune boosting properties!
You’ll discover even more ways that lavender, frankincense, and mandarin oils help you stay healthy, and get three recipes to build a resilient adaptive immune system day by day. A great thing about these recipes is they ONLY include our three powerhouse essential oils! You’ll just learn to use them in different ways, depending on your intentions and needs.
If you’re on a budget and want to create your own natural immune support kit, understanding how to use these three workhorse essential oils is an incredible gift to yourself and your family.
