The 8 Best Essential Oils and How They Help You

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Essential oils are concentrated liquids extracted directly from various plants and trees, and just a single drop can have all of the tremendous health and wellness benefits inherent to its source. These oils work by concentrating and carrying the medicinal compounds of the plants they were derived from, so that they can be applied to the skin or—even better—diffused into the air with an essential oil diffuser.

The earliest recorded use of essential oils for medicinal purposes dates back to the 13th century—the basis for using plant life as medicine was already long-established, and continues to be recognized by modern medicine.

Today, essential oils are often used in what is called “aromatherapy,” a phrase coined by a French chemist in 1937, and have proven tremendously popular.

Although aromatherapy is no replacement for a good doctor, when used as part of a holistic approach to healing, essential oils can be incredibly effective in helping people recover from illness—and stay healthy—naturally.

To help you get started on your journey to wellness, let’s take a look at the 8 best essential oils for promoting good health.

Clove

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Clove essential oil is derived from the clove tree, which is native to Southeast Asian countries. The ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Romans used it to combat bad breath and relieve toothaches. This is because, as modern medicine has found, the active ingredient in clove essential oil is eugenol, which functions as an antiseptic.

This germ-killing trait is so powerful, in fact, that clove is reported to be an ingredient in the “Four Thieves Vinegar” that 15th century thieves used to protect themselves when robbing those dead or dying of the plague.

To use clove oil as an oral antiseptic—it’s most effective role—simply dilute two drops in one cup of warm water, and gargle for 30 seconds as a part of your normal dental hygiene routine. This is a great replacement for traditional mouthwashes.

When 2-4 drops are placed in an essential oil diffuser, clove oil can fill your home with an especially pleasant aroma—woody and warm—that is stimulating and energizing to the mind.

Even better, it also acts as a non-toxic insect repellent!

Head over to your nearest Vitamin Shoppe or online essential oil retailer, and give clove oil a try.

As always, it is recommended that you work with an experienced aromatherapist if you are new to essential oils.

Lavender

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Lavender’s popularity comes not only from its famously calming scent, which is found in a wide variety of soaps, perfumes, and spray scents, but also from its versatility in a wide variety of healthcare remedies.

This oil comes from the flower spikes of lavender—a flowering plant in the mint family—and is packed with elements that accelerate the healing time of cuts, bruises, burns, and other wounds. Lavender oil is also protective—it has proven lethal to a wide variety of fungi that can cause infections in open wounds.

To make use of this oil’s healing and pain-reducing qualities, simply place 2 drops on a cotton ball, and swab the wound. Re-apply every few hours, as needed.

Diffused in the air, lavender is a wonderful antidote to stress and anxiety, as its documented effects as a sedative, combined with its relaxing scent, will leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed. Simply place 2-4 drops into the diffuser, and get comfortable.

To get even more relaxed, combine 2 drops of lavender essential oil with 1 cup of Epsom salt, and add this to a hot bath.

If you have one essential oil in your house, let it be lavender—you’ll have nothing to fear from bumps, scrapes, and stress.

Chamomile

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Chamomile is the common name of a group of daisy-like plants that have been traditionally used to make medicinal herb infusions.

Chamomile essential oil contains a number of compounds which have positive effects on the body, including antispasmodics, anti-inflammatories, anticoagulants, and anti-cancer chemical compounds.

Chamomile is most famous for its effects on the mood—like lavender, it is calming, but is unique in that it also stimulates and acts as an anti-depressant, helping to eliminate feelings of sluggishness, sadness while inducing a feeling of happiness. It’s a good mood in a bottle!

This oil is also, interestingly, an antispasmodic, calming nervous disturbances that result in spasms, shaking, and loss of control of the limbs.

You can place 1-2 drops of chamomile oil into an herbal tea to gain its antispasmodic and antioxidant effects, or diffuse in the air at night as a sleep aid—the scent of chamomile is generally regarded as very soothing.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful, happy oil!

Peppermint

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Peppermint is one of the world’s oldest medicines, and is a hybrid mint—a cross between spearmint and watermint.

Certain plants generate their own natural pesticides to ward off insects that might otherwise damage them. Peppermint produces a particularly powerful variety that can stave off insect invasions in your home if you wipe the oil in the areas that bugs tend to cross—window sills, in dark corners, and beneath doorframes.

But despite its toxicity to insects, peppermint oil is wonderful for humans.

Place a couple of drops into your tea, and you’ll have a handy aid for digestion—peppermint oil helps get rid of gas and relaxes the smooth muscles of the GI tract, which is why it is so often a component in over-the-counter medications that treat bloating and abdominal pain.

Not only this, but like many other oils on this list, peppermint is antimicrobial, and can be used, sparingly, on wounds to help stave off infection.

When diffused, peppermint not only keeps the bugs away, but creates a cheerful atmosphere that’s reminiscent of the holidays, so be sure to grab this most essential of essential oils.

Frankencense

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Frankincense is sourced from the resin of the Boswellia sacara tree, common in Somalia. The word, frankincense comes from the French term, “franc encens,” which means “quality incense,” in French. You may remember it as one of the gifts of the three wise men to the baby Jesus.

Frankincense is often associated not only with physical healing, but spiritual awakening, and its uplifting, earthy scent is known to be grounding and clarifying—a great accompaniment to meditation.

While it should not be ingested, frankincense essential oil can be used to treat skin blemishes such as scars and stretch marks when 2-3 drops are mixed with an unscented base lotion or oil.

Diffused, frankincense reduces heart rate and blood pressure, and has anti-anxiety effects, as well, so if you’re feeling stressed, meditation in a room full of its scent can help calm you down and get you thinking clearly.

Get back in touch with your spiritual side with this unique essential oil.

Oregano

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Oregano is another flowering plant in the mint family, and from it we derive one of the most beneficial essential oils!

This oil is packed with antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory chemical compounds, and was used in ancient Greece to treat bacterial infections of the skin. It was also used to protect food from pathogens. It is a plant that is native to high altitudes, and this where its name comes from—oregano means “delight of the mountains”.

In addition to being hard on germs, oregano oil is easy on the lungs—when diffused, it acts as an expectorant, loosening buildups of phlegm in the respiratory tract. Oregano oil is also known for giving relief from allergy symptoms by reducing the body’s sensitivity to allergens.

And like peppermint, oregano turns insects away, and can be used as a topical insect repellant.

Remember—oregano is more than just a spice. It’s a germ-killing, allergy-busting powerhouse of an oil.

Grapefruit

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You may only know grapefruit for its bitter taste, but this round fruit is good for more than simple food.

The concentrated oil that is derived from the grapefruit peel has a unique effect amongst essential oils—it aids in weight loss! The compounds in grapefruit oil both boost metabolism and curb appetite. If you’re plagued by hunger while dieting, a few drops in your tea can do wonders to beat the cravings for food and sugary snacks.

Like many other essential oils, grapefruit also has antibacterial and antifungal properties, even when diffused into the air, and can even help treat respiratory infections when breathed.

Grapefruit essential oil also has one of the most pleasant scents of any oil, and works well as a deodorizer and air freshener. Its aroma is uplifting and energizing, cutting through poor mood, fatigue, and brain fog.

Put a few drops in your diffuser, and see what grapefruit oil can do for you.

Eucalyptus

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Used by Aborigines for a variety of health issues in their villages, eucalyptus oil is an antimicrobial and antispasmodic agent that smells wonderful.

Made from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, this oil, like others, can be applied to wounds to prevent infection, and can be diffused to treat a number of respiratory problems. Mixing two drops into a cup of water can create a gargle to treat sore throats.

The unique property of eucalyptus oil, though, is its cool and refreshing effect. Diffused, this oil can help alleviate mental exhaustion, and can also stimulate blood flow throughout the body.

It can also be rubbed into sore muscles, and because of its anti-inflammatory properties, can be used on stiff muscles, aching tendons, and in areas affected by arthritis.

Eucalyptus oil may help control blood sugar when ingested—again, 1-2 drops in a cup of water will do. It also helps to lower body temperature when rubbed onto the skin, cooling the body.

Try this Australian oil, and you’ll soon find yourself refreshed, invigorated, and pain-free.

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