Natural Seasonal and Cold Supports for Kids

Seasonal bugs can be a real bummer, especially for kids on winter break. You want to do something to help them, but what?

Here are some great ideas from American College adjunct instructor Deborah Halvorson, BA, Dip Aroma, RA, which appeared in one of our earlier blog posts, "How to Support Your Kid's Health Naturally."

1. For cold or flu with a fever, Deborah recommends a combination of lemon (Citrus limonum) and marjoram (Origanum marjorana) essential oils. Lemon may help reduce the fever, and marjoram traditionally has been used for respiratory infections and to help with sleep. To use these essential oils, blend 10 drops of lemon with 5 drops of marjoram; then add 1 drop of the blend into a warm bath before bedtime or nap time, or use the blend in a nebulizing diffuser.

2. If your child is experiencing nasal congestion or sinus infection, you can use essential oils with steam inhalation. For children older than 5, use the ratio of 3-5 drops of essential oil to 6 cups of water. To make the inhalation, boil the water and pour into a bowl, and then add the essential oils. Have the child inhale the steam, and be sure to remind them to keep their eyes closed and their face 8-12 inches from the bowl.

To use steam inhalation with children younger than 5, do not have them directly inhale the steam. Rather, place the bowl in the room with the child, and the essential oils will disperse into the air through the steam.

3. If your child is willing to drink tea, a warm tea with honey (no honey for children younger than 12 months) can be soothing and comforting. Deborah recommends lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) for use with fever and to help calm fussy children. For use with coughs and achiness, lemon balm can also be combined with peppermint and chamomile (Matricaria recutita).

For more great ideas, read the original post "How to Support Your Kid's Health Naturally" here.

>>What works best for you and your family? Have a tea recipe the kids will "like"? We'd love to hear from you! Feel free to leave your comments.

*This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent disease. You should always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making changes to your health and wellness routine. In an emergency situation, call 911.

How to Use Essential Oils to Help Reduce Risk of Viral Infection

Essential oils can be used in the home as antiviral cleaning products. A diffuser used with essential oils like eucalyptus Eucalyptus globulus, lemon balm Melissa officinalis, peppermint Mentha piperita var. vulgaris, or thyme Thymus vulgaris may reduce the airborne viruses in a room.

Essential oils can also be added to hand creams to help reduce the spread of viruses by contact. Of course, these should be used in addition to the common sense CDC recommendations to wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose with your arm when you sneeze, and to stay home if you are sick.

Winter can be a challenging time because there is the potential for many people to be sick with a cold or flu at the same time, but we can use natural support options, such as essential oils, to keep us healthy.

To read the full-length article "The Antiviral Activity of Essential Oils", click HERE.

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, heal, or prevent disease. Always consult with your primary care provider for a proper diagnosis if you think you may have the seasonal flu or the H1N1 flu, and follow their recommendations.

Antiviral Activity of Essential Oils: It's Never too Early for Good Health

It's started to rain here in Portland, a not-so-subtle reminder that fall is on the way. It seems this time of year usually comes with a spike in seasonal colds and flu, as well as the gray-scape of clouds. Not so fun!

Before the season sets in, you may want to take stock of your essential oil inventory at home. Do you have the basics--like eucalyptus, lemon balm, and peppermint--which are thought to help kill airborne viruses when diffused into the air? These essential oils can also be added into hand creams to help stop the spread of infection through person-to-person contact.*

For more health-promoting tips this pre-fall season, check out ACHS Academic Dean Dr. Arianna Staruch's article about the antiviral activity of essential oils: http://www.achs.edu/news/news-detail.aspx?nid=193

You also may want to visit the Apothecary Shoppe, where most essential oils have posted information about their traditional use and wellness support, and some even include blending formulas.

Here's the recipe to prepare an inhalation from the eucalyptus webpage:

Alcohol, 90%: 4.5-cups
Eucalyptus Eucalyptus globulus oil: 6-t
Thyme Thymus vulgaris oil: 3-t
Pine Pinus sylvestris oil: 3-t
Lavender Lavandula angustifolia oil: 2-t
Lemon Citrus limon oil: 2-t

Mix all ingredients. To prepare as an inhalation, add 3-t to 6-cups of boiling water. This mixture can also be added to the bath water or to footbaths. Use 3-drops in the bath or 1-2-drops in a footbath.

* This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, or prescribe.

Herbal Memorial Gardens Are A Great Way To Honor Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is observed the last Monday of May and serves as a day of remembrance for loved ones. There are many stories about the origins of the day, though it is commonly agreed that General John Logan officially proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868 and the first observance was May 30; flowers were placed on the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Today, people still visit the resting places of loved ones in honor of their service. Whether you choose to observe quietly, start your summer travels, or enjoy an outdoor gathering, Memorial Day provides is an opportunity to spend time with friends and family.

Perhaps you can recruit some volunteers to help you plant an herbal memorial garden? Memorial gardens (or memory gardens) can help you feel closer to loved ones, are a fun group activity, and also can provide fresh, nutritious herbs for use in everyday meals. We recommend planting organic! Rosemary, for example, has traditionally been used as a symbol for remembrance. Additional herbs you may consider planting for beauty, fragrance, culinary uses, and health properties include: calendula, lemon balm, mint, and sage.

Planting Your Herbs and Lemon Balm Recipes

Once you have chosen the site of your garden and planned where your herbs will go, you are ready to prepare your soil! Preparing your soil, or amending soil, often involves drainage. To improve drainage, you can add compost or gravel as needed. The type of soil in your garden will help determine what needs to be added. One thing to keep in mind: good drainage is essential!

A few additional things to keep in mind when planting your herb garden:

• Do not put fertilizer in your planting hole.
• Dig the hole as deep and twice as wide as the pot your herb came in.
• Before you place your plant in the ground, break up the root ball to help the roots spread into the surrounding soil.
• Once you fill the hole, do not mound soil around the stem of the herb, which can cause rot.
• Water the herb gently once planted, and then determine a regular watering schedule.

For specific questions about amending the soil in your area and watering schedules, contact the local Master Gardeners' group in your area. Here's a link to search from the American Horticulture Society: http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/

Now use your herbs daily! Herbs included in the daily diet have been shown to support optimal health and wellness, and improve the color, flavor, and variety of dishes! Lemon balm, for example, has a somewhat sweet, honeylike, citrus flavor that can easily be added to a tea blend. Its lemon-like scent also makes a good addition to fruit salads, deserts (like sorbet), and as a flavoring for grains. Traditionally, lemon balm has been used as a digestive aid and is very easy to incorporate into the diet. It's fresh, young leaves can even be added to a salad raw!

Don't have a full-sized garden? No problem. Check out "Growing Herbs in Pots" for great tips from ACHS SVP and Master Gardener Erika Yigzaw.

Help Support Your Kid's Health Naturally

Fall is all around. As the leaves change bright colors and the air turns crisp, winter bugs can sneak up on us*. And when someone in your family is sick, everyone suffers! You want to do something to help them, but what?

There are many natural remedies you can try to help support healthy immune function*. Here are some tips for parents and caregivers from ACHS adjunct instructor Deborah Halvorson, BA, Dip Aroma, RA, who says, “I've never used over-the-counter cold remedies with my kids, just herbs and essential oils, and when the colds start going around, my kids generally get over it much quicker than their friends and classmates.”

One of Deborah’s favorite cough recipes is vapor balm, which is a natural alternative to a VapoRub-type ointment. Here’s a recipe you can use to make vapor balm at home. The recipe has been adapted from Aromatherapy, A Complete Guide to the Healing Art by Kathy Keville and Mindy Green.

Vapor Balm

1 cup Olive oil

3⁄4 oz. beeswax

1 1⁄2 tsp Eucalyptus (E. smithii) essential oil

1 tsp. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil

1⁄4 tsp Thyme (Thymus vulgaris ct. linalool) essential oil

Directions: For children 2-10 years old, use Eucalyptus smithii and Thyme linalool; for older children and adults, E. globulus or E. radiata and Thyme ct. thymol can be used. For children ages 1-2 years, the above recipe can adapted using only the Eucalyptus smithii and leaving out the peppermint and thyme oils.

Melt beeswax and olive oil in top of double boiler. Allow to cool a bit and add essential oils. Pour into clean containers, label, and date. To use, rub a small amount on the child's chest.

For cold or flu with a fever, Deborah recommends a combination of lemon (Citrus limonum) and marjoram (Origanum marjorana) essential oils. Lemon may help reduce the fever, and marjoram traditionally has been used for respiratory infections and to help with sleep. To use these essential oils, blend 10 drops of lemon with 5 drops of marjoram; then add 1 drop of the blend into a warm bath before bedtime or nap time, or use the blend in a nebulizing diffuser.

If you child is experiencing nasal congestion or sinus infection, you can use essential oils with steam inhalation. For children older than 5, use the ratio of 3-5 drops of essential oil to 6 cups of water. To make the inhalation, boil the water and pour into a bowl, and then add the essential oils. Have the child inhale the steam, and be sure to remind them to keep their eyes closed and their face 8-12 inches from the bowl.

To use steam inhalation with children younger than 5, do not have them directly inhale the steam. Rather, place the bowl in the room with the child, and the essential oils will disperse into the air through the steam.

Essential oils typically considered effective and safe for use with children include:

• Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica): An expectorant that may strengthen the immune system and have a calming/sedative action.
• Frankincense (Boswellia carteri): Traditionally an immune system stimulant that may also help with cough.
• Manuka/New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium): Traditionally used with bronchial congestion/bronchitis, sinus congestion/sinusitis, and has been shown to inhibit the growth of streptococcus (bacteria that cause strep throat) as well as bacteria that cause pneumonia. .
• Marjoram (Origanum majorana): An expectorant that may be helpful for respiratory infections and sinusitis, and is thought to have a calming action.
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Traditionally used with respiratory infections and sinusitis (may be stimulating; do not use before bedtime).
• Peppermint (Mentha x piperita): Frequently used with sinusitis and bronchitis. *Should not be used with children younger than 2.

If your child is willing to drink tea, a warm tea with honey (no honey for children younger than 12 months) can be soothing and comforting. Deborah recommends lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) for use with fever and to help calm fussy children. For use with coughs and achiness, lemon balm can also be combined with peppermint and chamomile (Matricaria recutita).

For more information, visit Cold and Flu--Just for Kids

*Always see your primary care physician for diagnosis. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. For informational purposes only. Not intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease.

The antiviral activity of essential oils

BY Arianna Staruch, ND, ACHS Academic Dean

A recent study looked at preparing a nasal spray from the essential oil of bupleurum root (Radix bupleuri) and tested it in animals for effectiveness. It did show promise as a fever reducer. However, many essential oils can be irritating to mucus membranes and should not be used undiluted or without first doing a skin patch test.

So how can you use essential oil in your everyday life to help reduce to risk of viral infection? Essential oils can be used in the home as antiviral cleaning products. A diffuser with any of the oils listed above, such as eucalyptus, lemon balm, or peppermint, may reduce the airborne viruses in a room. In addition, essential oils may be added to hand creams to help reduce the spread of viruses by contact. Of course, these should be used in addition to the common sense CDC recommendations to wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose with your arm when you sneeze, and to stay home if you are sick. (You should see your primary care provider for a proper diagnosis if you think you may have the seasonal flu or the H1N1 flu, and follow their recommendations.) This fall may be a challenging time because there is the potential for many people to be sick with the flu at the same time, but we can use natural support options, such as essential oils, to keep us healthy.

>> Click here to read the full-length article about using essential oils to reduce the risk of viral infection

References
1. Astani, A., Reichling, J., and Schnitzler, P. Comparative study on the antiviral activity of selected monoterpenes derived from essential oils. Phytother Res. 2009 Aug 3.
2. Reichling, J., Koch, C., Stahl-Biskup, E., Sojka, C., and Schnitzler, P.
Virucidal activity of a beta-triketone-rich essential oil of Leptospermum scoparium (manuka oil) against HSV-1 and HSV-2 in cell culture. Planta Med. 2005 Dec;71(12):1123-7.
3. Schnitzler, P., Schuhmacher, A., Astani, A., and Reichling, J. Melissa officinalis oil affects infectivity of enveloped herpesviruses. Phytomedicine. 2008 Sep;15(9):734-40.
4. Hayashi, K., Kamiya, M., Hayashi, T. Virucidal effects of the steam distillate from Houttuynia cordata and its components on HSV-1, influenza virus, and HIV. Planta Med. 1995 Jun;61(3):237-41.
5. Xie, Y., Lu, W., Cao, S., Jiang, X., Yin, M., and Tang, W. Preparation of bupleurum nasal spray and evaluation on its safety and efficacy. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2006 Jan;54(1):48-53.

>> For information about organic essential oils, click here

>> To learn more about aromatherapy classes, click here