Essential oils have hidden healing properties that can help us prevent from many diseases. Regular usage of essential oils can help improve body’s natural immune system against diseases. In our regular day to day lives, we may get affected by various seasonal pathogens and viruses.
Essential oils have the necessary elements present can kill harmful viruses. But all oils and their potencies are not equal. Some can kill viruses; some are just fragrances for removing foul odors.
In this article, you will find what are the strongest antiviral essential oil. We will not only mention their name; we will discuss it thoroughly and guide you through the usage to make the best use of all the essential oils.
What is the strongest antiviral essential oil?
So, the strongest antiviral essential oil is not one essential oil. It's a blend of five essential oil ingredients. Clove, cinnamon, lemon, rosemary, and eucalyptus mixed in the correct concentration and amount create an essential oil blend known as Thieves oil.
Don't be confused by the brand name Thieves oil. We are not talking about a specific brand. Thieves oil is an oil used by thieves back in medieval ages. The Thieves used to mix all these ingredients mentioned above and wear them while working. They believed that the soothing fragrance of their oil will sway the ailments and the dangerous diseases away.
To be honest, as the legend says, it was effective. Back in the days, thieves who created these essential oil blends didn't know about its antiviral capabilities. But treated as a magic portion to ward off Evel sprits or the evil spell the diseases. Researchers came across this recipe and created the same oil, and tested it to find out whether this has any medicinal properties or not. Shockingly enough, each element could kill off many viruses and prevent diseases in the human body.
Most essential oils are antibacterial and antiseptic; this blend of oils is a potent antiviral essential oil. That's why it can be proclaimed as the strongest antiviral essential oil.
Significance of the elements of thieves oil
Thieves oil blend has five constituents inside-
- Cinnamon – can fight off Lyme disease, Influenza, and pneumonia
- Clove – can fight against Lyme disease
- Lemon – has antimicrobial properties
- Rosemary – can relieve stress and anxiety
- Eucalyptus – works against the seasonal flu virus
These Major components has antiviral activity were individually tested in laboratories to see how they work against a variety of viruses and bacteria. It turns out they work just fine. Some did argue against the fact of complex mixture of them all.
In the case of many potent elements, one overlapped the other's potency when mixed and became useless altogether. But in this blend's case, the best part is that each element helps the other become more potent. Even together, their antimicrobial properties are boosted.
That's why this is considered to be one of the strongest antiviral essential oil. That's not all. It also has antibacterial properties that can help fight bacteria and solve problems like skin infections.
There are some common diseases that people want to know the cure. People have asked in many forums and threads to know about antiviral essential oils for shingles. Let's discuss that.
Antiviral blend of essential oil for shingles
For those who don't know, shingles are not roof tiles. Shingles are a kind of rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. One in three Americans is expected to be affected by the herpes zoster virus that causes shingles.
If a person were affected by herpes zoster before, they would have chickenpox. But if you have faced chickenpox earlier, it will induce shingles on the part of your body.
Some medicines and vaccines can relieve us from shingles. But most people do not care about extra vaccination. Shingles are painful, but not everyone takes vaccines for some itchy spots, right?
Symptoms of shingles
There are some common symptoms of shingles –
- Bursting blisters
- Itchiness
- Red rash
- Skin sensitivity
- Burning or numbness
- Fever
- Headache
- Sore throats
- Fatigue
Not everyone gets a fever. But the itchiness and rash are the most common ones.
Doctors somewhat disagree to the point of using essential oils to cure shingles. But many people have tried using essential oils after getting affected, they have gotten good results.
Not all essential oils can kill the herpes zoster virus. Only –
- Thyme oil
- Geranium oil
- Peppermint oil and
- Lemon oil
Have the necessary Antiviral activity to reduce shingles and provide relief.
So, if you're facing shingles, you can grab any of the essential oils above and apply. But you can't apply them directly to your skin. Essential oils cannot be applied directly to the skin. They can cause skin problems and irritation. So, there are some specific ways that you can apply antiviral essential oils for shingles.
How to use antiviral essential oils for shingles?
As you cannot apply essential oils directly, you have to opt for other methods. Don't worry; these methods are not complicated. You can easily opt for them.
Mixing with carrier oils
We may not be able to apply essential oils directly to our skin. But there are some oils that we can apply. They are known as carrier oils.
We can apply these oils directly to our skin. These oils necessarily don't have any antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, or antiseptic properties. We only use them for nourishing and moisturizing our skin.
There are wide ranges of carrier oil but the most common carrier oils are –
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
The reason to mix essential oils with carrier oils is too worn of their potency a bit. Because too many antiviral properties can irritate our skin, essential oils have caused allergic reactions in some cases.
So, take your optimum amount of carrier oil like coconut oil in your palm and add 1-2 drops of essential oil this will create a perfect antiviral blend. Then massage gently on the affected area.
You can follow this procedure once or twice a day to ensure quick relief. The caution with shingles is not to scratch. The blisters can burst and cause bleeding. Just like chickenpox, if the blisters are burst, it will leave a spot. So, do not scratch.
This mixture can relieve the sensation of itchiness and reduce irritation. So, apply gently on the affected area.
Mixing with moisturizers and lotion
We apply cream, lotion, and moisturizers to our skin. Applying carrier oils on the skin might seem an obsolete idea. Most people use moisturizers.
You can apply essential oil on the affected area with your moisturizers too. All you have to do is follow the same procedure.
Take your optimum amount of moisturizer on your palm and add 1-2 drops of essential oil. Then rub and massage gently on the affected area. Apply this once or twice daily for quick recovery.
DIY Spray
DIY or do it yourself sprays are another way of applying essential oils on shingles. You can make sprays at home using clean and pure water and a few drops of essential oil. But there's a catch. You have to know the perfect proportion of water and essential oil to ensure the antiviral action that the spray works.
What you need is –
- A plastic bottle
- 1 ounce of clean and pure water
- 10-15 drops of essential oil
- A sprayer
Take 1-ounce water in the bottle and add 10-15 drops of essential oil. You see, the proportion of water and the essential oil is 15 drops to one ounce. Now, put the sprayer on top and shake well.
Spray the mixture onto the affected area. You can use this spray several times a day. Whenever you feel very itchy, spray this mixture onto the affected area. You will experience quick relief.
Mixing with bathing water
Essential oils in bathing water are not considered as a remedy to any problems. But believe it or not, a bath with essential oils in the water can potentially kill germs and viruses. It's a much easier method. Though the other methods are far more effective than this one, still it's applicable.
All you have to do is, fill your bucket or bathtub with water and add 5-10 drops of essential oil. Then, take your bath usually.
Essential oil kills the germs existing in the water and can also kill the germs on your body. The fragrance adds extra freshness and relaxation to the bath.
Notable risks
Many people are allergic to plant-based oils. Essential oils are collected from bark, leaves, or twigs most. They are not procured from any fruits or anything. That's why they are more potent and can cause an allergic reaction.
Especially those who have allergies and have shingles should not apply essential oils. It may worsen the situation. But if you feel the urge to apply despite having allergies, you should consult your doctor first.
Another commonly asked solution online is antiviral essential oils for cold sores. People keep looking for the proper solution. But it's nowhere to be found. Let's give them the solution.
Antiviral essential oil for cold sores
The herpes simplex virus causes a cold sore. When someone is affected by it, they will have blisters on the lips or around the mouth area. Cold sores are not that uncommon. It can happen to anyone. But the problem of a cold sore is that the symptoms, i.e., the blisters, do not occur on the first day.
It starts burning in the affected place, and blisters occur within a few days. So, whenever you feel a burning sensation or clotting of something on your lips or around the mouth area, it's apparent that you are affected by the herpes simplex virus.
Essentials oils can be pretty helpful to cure the cold sores quicker. Usually, they last for 7 to 10 days. But if you use any of the below mentioned essential oils, you will be able to fight off the simplex virus earlier and experience relief in a shorter period.
Antiviral essential oils for cold sores are –
- Chamomile oil
- Clove oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Lemon oil
- Tea tree oil etc.
These oils have some major components that can help to cure cold sores of your lips and mouth area.
How to use antiviral essential oil for cold sores?
Unlike other problems, there's just only one way of applying. You can choose any of the essential oils from above. First, take a few drops of essential oil and mix it with water to dilute it a bit.
Then take a cotton swab and, using the swab apply the water and essential oil mixture gently on the affected area. Do not use essential oil more than twice each day. And do not apply it directly without diluting to see better results.
Notable risks
Essential oils are not edible. You cannot use them for cooking, or you cannot swallow them. If you swallow even a little bit of it, you may feel nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness.
As cold sore happens on the lips and around the mouth area, there's a big chance that essential oil might enter your mouth. So, you have to be very cautious while applying. Make sure you are not putting any essential oil inside your mouth.
Essential oils are more antibacterial than antiviral. Let's talk about a few antiviral properties of essential oils.
The mechanism of action of antibacterial essential oil
Most essential oils have the antiviral activity to kill bacteria living in our bodies. Bacteria that live in our body both internally and externally can cause many problems. We are not supposed to take any essential oil. It's only meant for topical use or inhaling.
So, the essential oil is beneficial when it comes to killing bacteria that are on the exterior of our body.
Many bacteria cause a variety of skin problems. Using essential oil can remedy and protect our skin from problems like a rash, swelling, redness, blisters, discoloring, etc. These skin problems are pervasive, and those who use antibacterial essential oils regularly are free from skin problems.
Essential oils can also help to remove the foul body odor people have. Like any other general person, you would think that our body's stink emits after we are sweaty from sweat. But the truth is sweat has no smell of its own.
Sweat carries body fat, toxins, and other waste particles that we emit from our bodies. These toxins react with the bacteria living in our skin and create the foul odor that we think generates from sweat.
So, the easiest way to stop having a bad body odor is to use something antibacterial, like an essential oil. It can permanently remove the foul odor and even help you mask the odor with its sweet smell. All you have to do is use it regularly.
Essential oil can kill the bacteria that cause the reaction with the toxins, and thus, everyone can have a foul odor-free body.
Some of the antibacterial essential oils are –
- Tea tree oil
- Peppermint oil
- Lemon oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Lavender oil
- Cedar wood oil etc.
These oils are the most commonly used and known essential oils to have antibacterial properties.
One of the most potent antiviral essential oil
It's tough to determine which is one of the most powerful antiviral essential oil. It's because every essential oil has a core material that offers different types of advantages. But if you ask which essential oil can help you fight against most viruses, that is just a laboratory test.
All you have to do is take each essential oil element and put it in a petri dish against various types of virus and bacteria.
You can test any essential oil to find out how many viruses and bacteria it can fight off. Then you can have your answer.
Fortunately, each essential oils' ingredients have been tested, and now we know what each essential oil does. According to the research result, the most potent antiviral essential oil is a blend of five different essential oils known as thieves oil. Why? Let's see.
Why thieves oil is one of the most powerful antiviral essential oils?
Thieves oil has five ingredients: clove, cinnamon, lemon, rosemary, and eucalyptus. If you have gone through the article, you can see that each ingredient individually has the power to kill off a variety of viruses and bacteria.
Also, to get protection from a different kind of virus, you would need a different essential oil. But instead, if you get the thieves' oil blend, you can ensure maximum protection from viruses and bacteria.
So, in case of maximum antiviral and antibacterial protection, the best choice undeniably is thieves oil.
Five guards essential oil
Now the real question remains. Which thieves oil should you get for yourself. There are hundreds of brands out there that contain the same component. That's why you cannot determine the best antiviral essential oil to buy.
But according to user review and experience, Five Guards essential oil has proven its merit in the fight against viruses and bacteria.
Five guards essential oil contains the original recipe from medieval times that was used by thieves. This authenticity ensures the purity of the oil. Also, the blend contains the perfect concentration and the perfect amount of each oil extract.
That's why no extract is overlapped by the other. The product manufacturer is Natural Riches who grow their raw material in USDA-approved organic farms and have the proper machinery to manufacture each extract independently.
Pros:
- Has high antibacterial and antiviral properties
- Can improve respiratory and cardiovascular activity
- Clears sinus congestion
- Helps to improve mood
- It can be used for aromatherapy
- Can give relief from cold sore and shingles
Cons:
- Not approved by the FDA because it's not edible
- It has a few notable risks
Frequently asked questions
Question 1. Which essential oils are antibacterial and antiviral?
Answer: Not all essential oils are antibacterial and antiviral at the same time. But some essential oil extracts have potent properties that can kill a few bacteria and viruses simultaneously. Some of them are eucalyptus, clove, tea tree oil, chamomile, etc.
Question 2. Does eucalyptus kill the flu virus?
Answer: In many folk medicine books and ancient history books, eucalyptus and quinine were mentioned in a very highlighted way. They were expected to cure certain diseases like flu and cold. Research has shown that eucalyptus extract does have the necessary properties to work as an agent that can kill the flu virus and relieve a person from the flu. It does not have a rapid action but works better than a few prescribed medicines.
Question 3. Can essential oils kill germs?
Answer: Germs are bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Essential oils contain antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, and antifungal properties. These properties ensure that essential oils can actively kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. So, yes, essential oils can kill germs.
Final words
If you have gone through the article, you would know what is the strongest antiviral essential oil and everything there is to know about it. Also, you should know how to fight against cold sore and shingles. Every essential oil is capable of killing a few viruses and bacteria. But not every essential oil is capable of doing that as effectively as thieves oil. But you have to remember these are all natural herbs they help you get better alongside your medicine but they are not for treating viral infections.
And finally, thanks for staying with us till the end of this article. If you have any questions to ask about the product or know more about the strongest antiviral essential oil, please let us know by leaving a comment.
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Maria Koehler —
Does thieves help with vitiligo?
Jeanne Coleman —
Very informative article.