Can Essential Oils Be Supportive During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Sadly, there is an extreme amount of misinformation being spread around the internet about COVID-19, and there are a lot of scams claiming that particular remedies or essential oils can be effective against the virus.

Although essential oils should not be relied upon for protection against COVID-19 or other viruses, essential oils may be very supportive in other ways during this scary and uncertain time. Read on to learn more...

There is No Current Evidence That Any Essential Oil Can Kill COVID-19

Some people and companies are making claims that particular essential oils or essential oil recipes can kill the COVID-19. Please be careful to not blindly believe information that you read or hear. Evaluate the source of what you're reading and the background of the individual, company or organization behind the information.

Someday, after extensive and verifiable research and testing are conducted, perhaps (and this is only a possibility, not a likelihood) we may find that an essential oil or essential oil component has some effect on COVID-19, but even then, that may only occur under very specific lab conditions. To my knowledge, at the time that I am writing this, there is no known reputable evidence that indicates that any essential oil is known to kill or protect anyone from COVID-19. [Source: Essential Oils and Coronaviruses by Shannon Becker, PhD, RA (Tisserand Institute). Accessed: March 31, 2020.]

Be Careful With DIY Disinfection and Hand Sanitizing Recipes

Please be extremely skeptical about DIY hand sanitizer recipes that you find online or in books. Many are not going to be effective in killing viruses or bacteria. Learn why these recipes may be giving DIYers a false sense of trust:

Beware of DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipes

Aromatherapy for Self-Care

Self-care is especially important right now. You need to be able to take care of yourself in order to do your best when taking care of others.

I've written a very detailed guide on how essential oils and aromatherapy can potentially play a helpful part of your self-care ritual:

Guide to Aromatherapy for Self-Care

Essential Oils That May Help With Stress, Fear and Anxiety

The proper use of calming essential oils may be helpful in reducing the extreme anxiety, fear and panic that is impacting us right now.

Personally, I have found certain essential oils to be very effective in easing temporary anxiety, but everyone is different. The essential oils or blends that may be effective for many individuals based on anecdotal or clinical evidence may not be effective for you (or vice versa). So, I want to be careful as I do not want to mislead you or get your hopes up about the exact essential oils that could possibly be helpful for you.

Use the below links to view the Guides, Articles and Recipes available on AromaWeb that address the use of essential oils for emotional wellness.

Guides and Articles:

Recipes:

Essential Oils May Support Efforts to Quit Smoking

According to the World Health Organization, "Smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 as the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are in contact with lips which increases the possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth. Smokers may also already have lung disease or reduced lung capacity which would greatly increase risk of serious illness." [Source: Q&A on smoking and COVID-19. Accessed: March 25, 2020.]

If you are a smoker, now may be a hugely important time to try to quit. I am a former smoker, and I totally understand how difficult quitting can be.

For details on how essential oils may help support your efforts to quit, please read the detailed article that I wrote for AromaWeb. It includes tips on what helped me personally quit:

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Tips to Help Quit Smoking

Essential Oils and Anosmia

It is being reported that a symptom of COVID-19 is anosmia, the loss of the sense of smell. For general information, please read AromaWeb's Aromatherapy and Anosmia article.

Essential Oil Safety

Essential oils can be harmful if not used properly. Refer to the below Articles and Guides for important information about using essential oils safely:

Links to Important Essential Oil and COVID-19 Resources

Before choosing to use any essential oil, read about Essential Oil Safety, and be sure that you learn the safety information and contraindications that apply to the oil(s) you are considering. Aromatherapy and the use of essential oils is not a substitute for proper medical care and cannot replace your doctor/medical professional/medications when needed. This article may not include all possible warnings or disclaimers.