Anti-Virals and Immune Boosters

With so many of us wearing masks and staying indoors more, our immune systems are becoming compromised, which is exactly the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish during a pandemic. To help counteract that negative effect, I want to offer you some science based tips that will help you boost your immune system.

To help keep your Immune System in top shape, essential oils are a good choice. Hundreds of scientific studies have demonstrated the antiviral actions of essential oils. Using anti-viral and anti-bacterial oils can support your overall health and boost your immune system.

One of the best things about essential oils used therapeutically is the ease with which they get into our cells and our bloodstream. Because of their lipophillic (‘fat friendly’) nature, essential oils pass through cell membranes, and make their way throughout our bodies when inhaled or used topically. When inhaled, diffused essential oils penetrate the cells of your respiratory system – in the nose, sinuses, throat, bronchial tubes and lungs. 

The Benefits of Essential Oils Blends

There is no single essential oil that is most effective against all viruses, so blending several highly-active antiviral essential oils together can provide us with the most effective ‘broad-spectrum’ formula.

Immune and Immune Kids have been specially formulated by an aromatherapist to deliver multiple benefits related antiviral properties and the immune system. 

Immune and Immune Kids are both available in our easy to carry, on the go inhaler, and in a roll-on, for when diffusing is not convenient. 

Shop Immune Inhaler or Immune Kids Inhaler

Shop Immune Roll-On or Immune Kids Roll-On

Good Choices for Using Singles or Blending Your Own

• Oregano
• Tea Tree
• Eucalyptus
• Balsam Fir
• Cinnamon Bark
• Cinnamon Cassia
• Thyme
• Ginger
• Clove
• Lemon
• Lemon Myrtle
• Lavender
• Melissa
• Rosemary

Looking for a Tea or Tincture Instead?

Elderberry is our in-house favorite for regulating the immune system and improving the functionality of the immune system.  Elderberry is good for helping the body to prevent getting sick in the first place, as well as helping the body recover if exposure has occurred. Read:  Why We Love Elderberry Tincture and Elderberry vs Tamiflu.

Good tea choices for immune and antiviral properties are Immune-tea, Tulsi Rose, and Green Tulsi Rose.

The Research

A search of pubmed.gov returns pages and pages of peer-reviewed studies, demonstrating the efficacy of essential oils as antiviral agents. A number of essential oils have been shown to have antiviral activity, and these essential oils are rich in a class of molecules called ‘monoterpenes‘. [2] Linalool, the ‘sweet’ note in Lavender and a great many other oils is a monoterpene, which is effective in inactivating enveloped viruses (the virus which causes the flu each year is an enveloped virus).

Researchers have found that essential oils ‘inactivate’ viruses in one of two ways: by inhibiting their ability to replicate [2][3] and/or inhibiting viruses’ ability to fuse to cell walls and infect a host cell [4]. What’s important to us here is that the oils act directly on the viruses themselves. Many oils have also been shown to positively support our own immune system, enhancing its ability to ward off infecting microbes — essential oils thus provide two independent means of warding off illness from viral infection.

Another important discovery is that true, whole, and natural essential oils are 10-times more effective in inactivating viruses than individual, isolated compounds from these oils.[2] That is to say, Tea Tree essential oil is approximately 10 times more effective than terpinen-4-ol alone (the compound in Tea Tree thought to be the most active antiviral constituent). This has been the case for each oil studied, and has been shown to be true when essential oils have been researched for their antibacterial properties as well.

References

[1] Schnitzler P, Schuhmacher A, et al. (2008) Melissa officinalis oil affects infectivity of enveloped herpesviruses. Phytomedicine. Sep;15(9):734-40.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18693101

[2] Astani A, Reichling J, Schnitzler P. (2010). Comparative study on the antiviral activity of selected monoterpenes derived from essential oils. Phytotherapy Research.2010 May;24(5):673-9 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19653195

[3] Garozzo A, Timpanaro R, et. al. (2011). Activity of Melaleuca alternifolia oil on Influenza virus A/PR/8: study on the mechanism of action. Antiviral Research. Jan;89(1):83-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21095205

[4] Li X, Duan S, et al. (2013). Melaleuca alternifolia concentrate inhibits in vitro entry of influenza virus into host cells. Molecules. Aug 9;18(8):9550-66. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23966077

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease.