Aromatherapy For Motion Sickness

September 18, 2014

Travel is an exhilarating adventure. Does motion sickness come with it? Some of us only start to feel queasy on boat trips through rough seas, others when sitting in the backseat of a car, others on every flight they take. It’s believed that motion sickness is caused by disturbances in the inner ear. Fortunately, aromatherapy can help combat these symptoms, soothe us, and help find our equilibrium.

Aromatherapy and Motion Sickness: Need to Know

Suggested essential oils for motion sickness

Lavender
Peppermint
Lime
Grapefruit
Chamomile

Warning: Some essential oils can be a contradiction for preexisting medical conditions. Speak with your doctor before adopting this or any other complementary therapy. Essential oils should be used as a complement to conventional medicine, not a substitute. If your motion sickness gets worse, speak with your doctor. Essential oils are highly potent. You rarely need more than a few drops, and using them undiluted can irritate your skin. Unless you’re working with a diffuser or oil lamp, dilute the individual oils in warm water, or in a carrier oil (for example sweet almond, avocado, grapeseed or jojoba)

Directions: There are several methods for administering these or any other essential oils, and the chief factor in your choice should be personal preference. Would you prefer to massage the oils into your skin, diffuse them throughout the room, or have them on-hand so that you can choose when to inhale them? Pick an approach that works for you.

Options for driving: Dilute the oil or blend with water and store it in a spray bottle. Spray the car before driving, and once every few hours on the road. Keep a bottle on hand and soak a tissue with two or three drops for inhaling when a wave of motion sickness hits you. (Or just inhale directly from the bottle, if your oils are properly diluted.) . Use a car diffuser—a small aromatherapy diffuser that plugs into your cigarette lighter. One Step FurtherEssential oils should not be thought of as a cure-all. There are other approaches to preventing motion sickness. For example, avoiding reading in moving vehicles and sitting in the front seat when possible. You may also want to consider meditation or deep-breathing.