May 06, 2020

Essential Oils for Digestive Health

In the last few years, there has been an increasing awareness about the important role our digestive system plays in maintaining overall health. Hippocrates said: "All disease begins in the gut."

There are a variety of things we can do to help support our digestive health, beginning with what we eat. Focusing on nutrient dense, fibre rich and probiotics foods can significantly improve digestive health. Other lifestyle changes such as reducing stress, improving sleep and staying active can help maintain healthy digestion.

Because of their anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic qualities, essential oils can be a great way to naturally prevent and treat digestive issues such as nausea, constipation and spasming.

Digestive Essential Oil Blend

Combining Lemon, Peppermint, Sweet Fennel, Clove, Ginger, Cardamom and Oregano essential oil, ECO. Digestive blend has been specifically developed to help support healthy digestion. With a lightly sweet, fresh and invigorating aroma, a few deep inhalation from the bottle will make your belly smile. Recommended uses for nausea, poor digestion or intestinal spasm is massage application or compress. Avoid ingesting this blend.

Key Benefits:

• Natural approach to healthy digestion
• Aids digestive functions
• May help natural bowel regularity
• May help relieve symptoms associated with nausea, constipation and intestinal spasming

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Digestive Essential Oil Rollerball

Similar to our Digestive Essential Oil Blend, we have our Digestive Rollerball. We have diluted the essential oils in a carrier oil allowing for safe application directly on the skin.

Apply to abdomen in a clockwise direction and to the lower back. Massage starting at your belly button and work outwards making between 5-10 complete rotations. You can also apply to your sternum or wrists to help with nausea as needed.

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Essential Oils for Nausea

• Ginger - morning sickness and travel sickness.

• Peppermint - over indulgence, feeling nauseous with a headache, nauseous with heat around the abdominal area. For children and during pregnancy try the gentler spearmint essential oil for a similar effect.

• Lemon - an uplifting fresh scent to help overcome feelings of nausea.

Traditional: to treat nausea simply open the bottle of essential oil and inhale deeply for a few breaths, for the next 30 minutes repeat every 5 minutes until symptoms improve.

Treatment on the run: place a drop of essential oil on your shirt collar (test on the fabric first to ensure the oil wont stain) or place a drop of essential oil on a tissue and tuck into bra or singlet strap. The fresh aroma will help you feel better throughout the day.

Relaxing treatment: place 1 to 2 drops in 5mls carrier oil and gently apply to the abdomen starting at the top of your right-side hip travelling up under the right ribs then left towards left ribs and down towards the top of the left hip continue in a circular motion and breathe deeply. Massage briefly and gently so as not to upset your stomach further.

Essential Oils for Poor Digestion

Slow digestion can cause us to feel heavy, blocked and full in our stomach. Poor digestion may be the result of stress, over eating, or a weak digestive system. Essential oils to help with poor digestion tend to be warming and stimulating.

• Ginger: warming, stimulating, eases nausea.

• Black Pepper: tones tissue, warming, stimulant.

• Rosemary: stimulates the digestive organs such as liver and gallbladder.

• Lemongrass: warming and stimulates digestion.

• Lemon: stimulates digestive fluids, helps us feel clean and refreshed.

Hot compress: For hot compress add 2 to 3 drops of essential oil to a bowl of warm to hot water. Submerge a face washer in the water then wring out excess water. Place compress over the abdomen and replace as the compress cools down. You may also place the compress over your lower back too.

Massage: make a 2.5% dilution blend; 5 drops of essential oil to 10mls carrier oil and apply to abdomen in a clockwise direction and to the lower back. Note: essential oils that have warming properties can irritate sensitive skin and prolonged use can also cause sensitisation therefore it is best to check skin reactions prior to use and not to use a single or blend of essential oils continuously for more than three weeks in a row.

Movement: a short walk after meals can encourage digestive movement.

Deep breathing: a deep breath causes the diaphragm to push into the upper portion of the intestines stimulating peristalsis or movement in the intestine.

Relax/rest: poor digestion can be a result of stress. A part of the stress response is to divert blood away from the digestive system to skeletal muscles preparing us to fight or for flight. A rest after meals for 5 to 10 minutes can help us relax and encourage our body to restore function to the digestive system. You might like to use a rest period to practise deep breathing to further enhance relaxation.

Essential Oils for Intestinal Spasming

A short and sharp pain in the abdomen may be caused by intestinal spasming. Peppermint essential oil has been shown to decrease spasming in the intestine and may also be useful in the treatment irritable bowel syndrome. Other helpful essential oils that have carminative and anti-spasmodic properties include:

• Ginger

• Lavender

• Chamomile

• Spearmint

Massage: make a 2.5% dilution blend; 5 drops of essential oil to 10mls carrier oil and apply to abdomen in a clockwise direction and to the lower back.

Compress: for feelings of heat and inflammation use a cold compress and for spasms a hot compress will help. Add 2 to 3 drops of essential oil to a bowl of warm to hot water. Submerge a face washer then wring out excess water. Place compress over the abdomen and replace as needed. You may also place the compress over your lower back too.

Digestive Collection Kit

We combined our favourite essential oils to help support digestive health in a beautiful pack with sweet almond carrier oil. Enjoy making your own massage blend and nurture your tummy.

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Shop oils for digestive health

ECO. Anxiety Blend Essential Oil (1465915801655)

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Author: Elisabeth Lemieux
Marketing Coordinator

Liz is the Marketing Coordinator at ECO. Modern Essentials and oversees the company’s brand and communication strategy. Liz has extensive experience in brand management, strategy development and digital marketing across a range of direct-to-consumer businesses in the health and wellness industry. She is a qualified Yoga instructor and has been practicing for nearly a decade. Liz is passionate about everything wellness and has a strong interest in holistic health.

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