With the innumerable hours that we spend slouching in front of our laptop screens or hunching over the steering wheel, muscles in our back and neck are bound to suffer.
Aromatherapy is a quick and effective remedy to ease those sore muscles. A few drops of lavender oil are all you need to reduce pain and relax your neck muscles.
How Lavender Works For Neck Pain
A celebrated oil in aromatherapy, lavender‘s anti-inflammatory properties alleviate pain by increasing the blood circulation in the neck region. As it easily penetrates through the skin, the oil reaches the muscles and joints quickly and provides instant relief. [1,5]
A 2006 study highlighted the effects of lavender oil along with acupressure in treating sub-acute, non-specific neck pain. [2] Lavender along with peppermint, marjoram and black pepper was effective in soothing neck pain in another study. [3,4]
How To Use It
- Take four to five drops of lavender essential oil and gently massage your neck with it. Work your way upwards from the neck to the head to improve blood circulation to the brain.
- Alternatively, make a relaxing bath by dissolving ½ cup of Epsom salts with five to six drops of lavender oil in lukewarm water. Soak in it for 20 minutes to soothe your sore neck muscles.
For more interesting stories, visit our Health page and read about other Natural Remedies here.
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References:
1. Koulivand PH, Khaleghi Ghadiri M, Gorji A. Lavender and the nervous system. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:681304. doi: 10.1155/2013/681304.Epub 2013 Mar 14. PubMed PMID: 23573142; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3612440.
2. Lis-Balchin M, Hart S. Studies on the mode of action of the essential oil of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia P. Miller). Phytother Res. 1999 Sep;13(6):540-2. PubMed PMID: 10479772.
3. Yip YB, Tse SH. An experimental study on the effectiveness of acupressure with aromatic lavender essential oil for sub-acute, non-specific neck pain in Hong Kong. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2006 Feb;12(1):18-26. Epub 2005 Nov 8. PubMed PMID: 16401526.
4. Ou MC, Lee YF, Li CC, Wu SK. The effectiveness of essential oils for patients with neck pain: a randomized controlled study. J Altern Complement Med. 2014 Oct;20(10):771-9. doi: 10.1089/acm.2013.0453. Epub 2014 Sep 5. PubMed PMID:25192562.
5. Huang MY, Liao MH, Wang YK, Huang YS, Wen HC. Effect of lavender essential oil on LPS-stimulated inflammation. Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(4):845-59. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X12500632. PubMed PMID: 22809036.
