My friend Amanda mentioned to me yesterday that putting the essential oil of eucalyptus on the soles of your feet will calm a cough. She says you can also use Vic’s Vapor Rub, but of course that is a petroleum product and avoided if possible. Best to stick with essential oils, if you can.
As it happens, my son had been hanging on to a lingering cough. He came home from school early yesterday with an unrelated malady (vomited in the car on the short drive home from school and then had explosive diarreah for the rest of the day. A nasty bug? Bad food? A quick stomach virus? It’s a mystery. I immediately put him on the BRAT (bananas/rice/applesauce/toast) diet to ease his G.I. system and gave him a bottle of electrolyte water, plenty of liquid and probiotics to rebuild his gut. I think this was a good course of action as the diarreah has stopped. He’s better today, though tired and not a lot of energy. ).
Anyway, I happened to have eucalyptus oil so I put it liberally on the soles of his feet once in the afternoon and again after his pre-bed bath. The results: not a single cough all night, nor one this morning, and mornings are when he has been coughing the most. I think it was a successful test and I’m convinced!
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Well I had the flu 2 weeks ago and now left with dam post nasal drip and it makes me cough and clear throat all day, so tonight when I get home, I pulling out the eucalyptus oil and inhaling it a tad, then with olive oil on my feet and in the shower tomorrow! So there, go away you annoying PSD! Ugh.
I meant PND! But you could use your imagination with the S!
For curing a cough,Australian Eucalytus Oil can be applied to a toothbrush and add toothpaste. Brush teeth and tongue vigorously then gargle, do not swallow.
Used this method for many years and it has always worked.
I keep reading where you shouldn’t apply eucalyptus oil directly to skin?
That it can cause minor burns?
But you use it directly on skin with no problems?
I am going to try this for my next cough.
For eucalyptus oil mix with a cold pressed oil like olive oil if you are worried about rashes.
olive oils and other essential oils are very good for aromatherapy and for cooking too “
essential oils are great for aromatherapy and massage“-
the good thing about essential oils is that they are therapeutic and smells great.;*
Barbara,
I ALWAYS appreciate learning new things and was glad to see your posting! No worries! Thanks for pointing it out.
Elizabeth
PS: I enjoyed your blog!
Gosh — I wasn’t questioning your judgement on how much to use! I just wasn’t sure and just recall someone telling me to use essential oils sparingly because they are so concentrated. But obviously it worked well for your son!
I did a little research on the uses of eucalytus oil and posted about them on my blog. I couldn’t believe how versatile it is! I picked up a bottle to have on hand should I come down with a cold but there’s a lot of other things it’s helpful for as well. Check it out here if you’re interested.
http://www.thethrivingwoman.com/my_weblog/2008/02/eucalyptus-oil.html
And again — thanks for sharing about this. I would never have known otherwise! Using eucalyptus oil sure beats over the counter stuff!
The link was Not about eo
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for pointing out to me the error of my ways. In my zeal, I probably overdid it with 2-3 drops directly upon each sole of his foot. The following night, I mixed one drop with a dollop of a neutral lotion base (Alba) to apply to my daughter’s feet. This was probably a better course of action.
Fortunately, the soles of my son’s feet are pretty toughened and there doesn’t seem to be any ill effects. Phew! 🙂
Elizabeth
PS: Taking an aromatherapy class is high on my list!
Hi Elizabeth — my friend Sarah mentioned your natural remedies post on her blog and I hurried over to find out more about your cough cure since the “nasty cold” has been going around my office. While I’ve been speaking very positively to my body and thanking it for keeping me so healthy, I have to admit I have a touch of a sore throat today and am just hoping it doesn’t progress into anything more.
What I’m wondering, since you mentioned putting the oil “liberally” on your son’s feet, is whether you were using essential oils or if euclyptus oil comes in a bottle similar to baby oil — and is perhaps less concentrated. I always thought you had to use essential oils quite sparingly. I’m just checking as I’d like to get some and have it on hand should my family get a cold this winter.
Thanks for any info you can provide!