7 Essential Oils that Boost Your Immune System

Alright, mamas, let’s get real. Between packing lunches, running errands, and attempting to keep the house from looking like a toy tornado hit it, the last thing we need is the whole family getting knocked out by the sniffles. Cold and flu season? Yeah, no thanks!

But here’s the good news: with a little help from Mother Nature’s medicine cabinet (aka essential oils), we can give our immune systems a fighting chance. After all, prevention is key!

So grab your diffuser, roll up those sleeves, and let’s dive into the 7 best essential oils that can help keep your family strong and healthy through the colder months. Because we all know, when Mama stays healthy, the whole house runs smoother!

Best Essential Oils for Your Immune System

You don’t need a ton of fancy concoctions to keep your household healthy – just a few drops of the right essential oils can work wonders.

From germ-fighting champions like tea tree and eucalyptus to immune-boosting stars like lemon and oregano, these oils are packed with natural properties that help protect against all the nasties floating around during cold and flu season.

Whether you love diffusing them to cleanse the air, mixing them into a DIY roller blend, or adding a few drops to a warm bath, there are so many ways to make these oils a part of your daily routine.

Here are the 7 powerhouse essential oils that’ll help keep those germs at bay and your family feeling fabulous all season long:

1. Lemon

Add this beautiful bottle of USDA Organic Lemon essential oil to your medicine cabinet.
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Citrus x limon. Lemon naturally has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying properties. It blends well with other essential oils, making it popular among oil enthusiasts. It is also a natural disinfectant and can be used as a natural cleaning product such as a counter top spray or air freshener spray.

Use lemon liberally and quickly as its shelf life is only about 1 to 1.5 years.

2. Cinnamon Bark

Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil is the variety most effective for Immune Support.
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Cinnamomum verum. The most important properties you’re looking for in an essential oil for immune support are antibacterial and antiseptic. Cinnamon has both of those properties and can therefore assist beautifully in boosting your natural defenses against the season’s germs. Be careful though, Cinnamon is considered a “hot” oil, which means you’ll need to always dilute it to use it safely.

NOTE: There are 3 types of Cinnamon available for purchase: Cinnamon Bark, Cinnamon Leaf, and Cinnamon Cassia. If you’re wondering which is the best variety of Cinnamon essential oil for immune support, choose Cinnamon Bark with the latin plant name of Cinnamomum verum. Cinnamon Leaf (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) is also ok, but Cinnamon Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) should really only be named “Cassia” as it’s a different plant that’s basically the cheaper cousin variety of Cinnamon. It’s still related, and if you have nothing else available, use Cassia. But if you’re starting from scratch and shopping for a set of immune boosting essential oils, make sure you include Cinnamon Bark.

3. Tea Tree

Rocky Mountain Oils carries a beautiful Certified Organic Tea Tree Oil.
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Melaleuca alternifolia. Tea tree oil is among the most versatile oils out there that has antimicrobial properties. It is an effective decongestant and expectorant, and popular in many home remedies. Whether it’s for your immune system, or for treating acne, cold sores, or cough and chest congestion, tea tree is part of the aromatherapist’s vocabulary.

If your essential oils starter kit didn’t include Tea Tree oil, you can add it to your library now and rest assured that you’ll find plenty useful uses for it now & in the future.

4. Eucalyptus

This Eucalyptus Oil is under $10 for the bottle.
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Eucalyptus radiata. Eucalyptus supports a healthy respiratory system similar to tea tree oil as it also has decongestant and expectorant properties. I personally find it has a more pleasant smell than Tea Tree. It’s fresh and spirited, yet not as “tree”-y like Tea Tree.

Eucalyptus essential oil is produced via steam distillation of the tree’s leaves and twigs. There are multiple varieties of Eucalyptus trees (over 500!), but most popularly, only three different varieties of Eucalyptus essential oils are sold: Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus citriodora. They have their own spin on Eucalyptus benefits: globulus for respiratory / antibacterial effects, radiata for immune system support and deep muscle tissue issues such as strains and sprains, and citriodora for mosquito repellents or fungal infections.

5. Peppermint

Peppermint essential oil is a staple oil and comes in a variety of bottle sizes.
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Mentha piperita. Peppermint is among the most common essential oils. It can be used to help relieve headaches and indigestion. It has detoxifying properties and believed to help reduce sugar cravings.

While it features a pretty strong aroma, it’s pleasant on the airways and soothing on the respiratory system. Peppermint has antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, which help to combat viral and fungal infections, including cold sores. It is suitable for direct inhalation, steam bowls, diffusion, and diluted topical application.

6. Oregano

Oregano Essential Oil
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Origanum vulgare. Oregano is rich in antioxidants and an effective pathogen fighter, which means it fights bacteria, viruses, and other microorganism that can cause disease.

Oregano oil is beneficial in treating various health concerns and the usage of this oil depends on what body conditions you are presently enduring. If you are experiencing various ailments, always ask for your doctor’s advice. Since oregano is strongly concentrated, moderation is also required to avoid unfavorable results.

7. Clove

Syzgium aromaticum Clove Bud Essential Oil.
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Syzygium aromaticum. Clove is one of the most potent antioxidant essential oils available. Its scent is slightly strong and may need some getting used to. It’s also a “hot” oil so please remember to dilute it highly if you plan to use it topically to ensure you stay away from skin irritations.

How To Use Essential Oils to Boost Your Immune System

The immune system is among the most complex and diverse systems in the body. A healthy immune system will be able to help you fight off more serious kinds of illnesses, so it is of your best interest to keep your immune system as strong as you can any time of the year.

Essential oils can support your immune system by diffusing or spraying them in a room, cleaning the house with them, or apply them directly to the skin. If this is your first time learning about how to use essential oils, here are some interesting ideas to try and get acquainted with these powerful gifts from nature:

Apply Topically

If you are feeling under the weather, try applying essential oils on the soles of your feet and cover them with socks. The feet are among the fastest absorbing areas of the body, so putting essential oils there will help them get to your blood stream faster!

Other fast absorbing areas include the neck and the area behind the ears. It is also recommended to put essential oils on your chest and throat if you have cough, chest congestion or a clogged nose.

Diffuse

One way to kill airborne viruses and bacteria is to diffuse essential oils. You would need a diffuser for this. This will not only make your home smell luxurious, but also put humidity in the air, thus relieving dry sinuses and coughs.

There are many essential oil diffuser blend recipes out there depending on your desired effect. Here are some diffuser blend recipes to try that promote immunity boosting and healing effects:

Diffuser Blends for Boosting Your Immune System

Final Thoughts

To achieve a strong immune system, we must commit to an overall lifestyle of health. You have what it takes to live a full, healthy life! Using essential oils is a super simple thing to do, to enhance your well-being.

The essential oil recipes that you find here are my suggestions to get you started with diffusing oils around your home that not only smell nice, but also serve the purpose of boosting your immune system. You are of course free to create your own blends; I recommend you incorporate at least one (if not more) of the top 7 oils for your immune system that I’ve outlined. Just remember that it is easy to get lost in your favorite essential oil scents, so please don’t be shy to add in a new one or experiment a little to get desired results.

Last but not least – please don’t expect that all oils are created equal. Shop my top 10 most recommended essential oil brands if you need a place to start. It is advisable that you stick to high quality, 100% natural, pure, and therapeutic grade essential oils.

The uses of essential oils are virtually unlimited. Enjoy!

Further Reading

• https://chopra.com/articles/4-aromatherapy-recipes-to-boost-your-immune-system
• https://healyeatsreal.com/essential-oils-immune-system/