Balancing Hormones With Essential Oils
Essential oils are not just useful for eradicating pungent smells or giving massages. Unbeknownst to many people, the use of essential oils can help relieve anxiety, sleep, improve skin and digestion, kill bacteria and infections, treat respiratory conditions, and improve overall health.
Whether individuals choose to inhale the fumes of the oil itself, have a warm bath with a few drops of oil, rub it directly on the skin, or use them aromatically with an oil diffuser, essential oils can be a great benefit to overall health.
Clary Sage Oil
Inhaling clary sage oil can reduce cortisol levels by thirty-six percent, and improve thyroid hormone levels. It also has an antidepressant effect that can improve mood and reduce depression, anxiety, and stress. However, the greatest benefit of clary sage oil is it helps balance the estrogen production in the body.
Health issues such as infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and estrogen-based cancers, are caused due to excess estrogen which is often due to the consumption of high-estrogen foods. Therefore, using clary sage oil can help balance out estrogen levels and reduce the risk of such health issues. Clary sage oil can even be used as a natural remedy for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) cramps.
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is one of the most common and most well researched of all essential oils. Similar to clary sage oil, lavender oil helps balance hormones and is known for offering pain relief for abdominal cramps, particularly those associated with PMS and menstrual cycles. However, lavender oil also helps decrease feelings of depression and stress, can calm an upset stomach, encourage sleep, and may relieve headaches.
Research shows that inhalation of lavender can help relieve depression, anxiety, and emotional symptoms of PMS. For best results, inhale lavender for ten minutes or longer. However, combining and diffusing lavender oil and clary sage oil together provides an amazing combination due to their similar effects.
Sandalwood Oil
Often people with low testosterone will have such symptoms as chronic fatigue, depression, mood changes, lowered libido, changes in appetite, and erectile dysfunction. However, using sandalwood oil in a diffuser can help balance out the testosterone levels in both men and women.
Sandalwood oil is a natural aphrodisiac and has an amazing scent, which is why for years it has been used as an ingredient in many colognes and perfumes. So adding it to homemade deodorants, soaps, and lotions can help improve libido and increase testosterone production.
Thyme Oil
Thyme oil can improve progesterone production, which is a hormone important for regulating ovulation, pregnancy, embryogenesis, and menstruation. Men and women can be low in progesterone, which has been linked to infertility, PCOS, depression, and other hormone imbalances. Thyme oil in a diffuser can help to naturally balance the hormones within the body, and it is also a much better alternative than using prescription medications or hormone replacement therapy.
Other benefits of thyme oil include reducing anxiety, treating respiratory conditions, killing bacteria and infections, and increasing circulation.
Ways To Use Essential Oils
One way to use essential oils is to mix a few drops of whichever oil will benefit you into some coconut oil and rub it on areas of the body. Due to essential oils being able to absorb directly into the skin, you can also receive the same desired effects by putting a few drops of essential oils directly on the skin. You also have the option of adding them to homemade soaps, body lotions, and deodorants.
Another method of using essential oils is to apply a few drops to the palm of your hand, rub them together to activate the oil, and cup your hands over your mouth and nose to inhale. Breathe gently at first, and if the amount seems appropriate, continue taking deep breaths. Inhaling oils can also be done by pouring the oil into a bowl of steaming water, putting a towel over your head, and inhaling the steam.