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Headaches and peppermint essential oil

Headaches and migraines have plagued me for most of my life. I remember many miserable days not wanting to see anyone or do anything but lie down with an ice pack on my head to minimize the pain. During my teenage years, since I had much less responsibility than now, I usually chose the ice pack on the bed and tried to sleep. If that didn’t work or I couldn’t go to bed, I’d turn to some Advil. Those of you who have suffered from migraines know that it is almost impossible to continue with life when you have one. You can’t pretend you’re feeling good when it looks like you’ve got a 2 x 4 stuck on your head.

When I got married, many changes took place in my life. Probably one of the biggest for me was a huge improvement in my diet. Praise the Lord! The dietary changes resulted in fewer and fewer headaches and almost no migraines. Although they’re rare now, I still get headaches from time to time, especially when I’m pregnant. I haven’t quite figured out if this is hormonal or due to other issues. With Advil out of the picture, due to its long lasting ill effects, I needed something else to provide immediate relief. I found this especially true when I was pregnant with my second child. The first, who was only 8 months old when I conceived again, still needed my attention even when she felt like she couldn’t lift her head off the pillow. After extensive reading and research, I found something that was simple, inexpensive, and very effective: peppermint essential oil. All I do is rub the oil on my temples or wherever there is pain. This has been a lifesaver for me! I cannot praise its effects enough! It provides a cooling sensation similar to an ice pack, but keeps me mobile.

We now have two adorable little boys and I regularly help my husband with our business. It has become impossible for me to find the time to sleep off the occasional headache during our busy days. Peppermint essential oil has come to me time and time again. At night, I still sleep with an ice pack if I have a headache. To effectively double the cooling effect, I also apply the peppermint oil. This provides a tremendous amount of relief while I sleep and almost always completely rids me of my headache in the morning. The only precaution I have is not to use it too often during the day, as that would desensitize my skin, making it less effective.

Since I almost always carry a bottle with me wherever I go, I have shared my peppermint oil with many other people when they mention that they have a headache. Many times they were surprised and thanked me for such an effective remedy. Just a word of warning: be careful to avoid contact with eyes. When this happened to me once, I rinsed my eye with running water until the pain and burning subsided.

Other uses:

About a month ago I was dealing with the flu and fever. I always try to do whatever it takes to get better quickly, so I immediately started reading everything I could about fever remedies. I read that clove essential oil can work wonders. However, since I didn’t have any clove oil on hand, I tried half a dozen drops of peppermint essential oil in a glass of water. It worked quickly to bring the fever down and I felt noticeably better the next morning.

During our recent vacation in Florida, a rash appeared on my leg. There were patches near my ankle and one on my thigh. At first, I decided to wait a few days, hoping it would clear up on its own. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at waiting, especially if it seems to get worse. Without my herbs around, i tried rubbing peppermint essential oil on the rash twice a day or whenever it itches. In two days the eruptions disappeared. I’m so glad I tried it!

Whenever we return from outdoor activities (work or play) and we are very hot and dehydrated, we drink a couple of drops of peppermint oil in a glass of water. It is both refreshing and rejuvenating. It also helps if you drink it before going out on a hot day or before strenuous exercise to keep your body temperature cool.

Peppermint essential oil can also provide immediate relief for acid reflux, upset stomach, etc. Just a couple drops added to hot or cold water does the trick. And our favorite application is ice cream. My husband loves the peppermint essential oil in our homemade ice cream. I only add 5 drops or so to a half gallon of ice cream mix before freezing. Makes a great mint gift!

Note: Only therapeutic-grade peppermint essential oil (such as Young Living brand) is suitable for internal use. People with high blood pressure should be careful when using peppermint essential oil internally. Children under 6 years of age should avoid internal use of peppermint essential oil.

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