As the weather drops in temperature it can be harder to warm up when we do get indoors however there are lots of lovely warming essential oils that can be used that also add an autumnal atmosphere to any home. The added benefit being that many of the warming essential oil’s also have anti-viral or anti-bacterial properties which are great at this time of year.
Cinnamon is often associated with the festive season as it has such a warm and spicy scent however it is a phenol rich oil so it needs to be used with care. Being composed of mainly eugeonol is where the strength of cinnamon comes from – years ago they used it as a preservative to stop food from spoiling. Now various studies show eugenol can fight bacteria including a variety of candida strains and maintain the activities of the body’s antioxidant enzymes at normal levels. The essential oil is often used for digestive complaints and mental fatigue.
Ginger essential oil (Zingiber officinalis) has a hot, spicy scent that can be potent and evoke quite a reaction when first smelt. It is from the Zingerberaceae plant family known as the Ginger family, it is a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, found in the tropics of Africa, Asia and the Americas. The benefits of this family is that they are anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, digestive and warming, it is the warming aspect that make ginger essential oil good for joint pain, rheumatism and muscle tension.
Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) essential oil is a warming oil that has a stimulating effect on body and mind; a great one to add to the burner if you have a task to do to as it can improve focus and it is often incorporated into many sports massage blends. It has a spicy and warm scent that can increase appetite and may also help to improve circulation and ease digestive problems.
All of these oils would go together wonderfully into a diffuser or vaporiser, or alternatively you could make a dual action oil that could be used as a warming rub or bath oil by combining 30 drops of essential oils to 100ml of carrier oil and use when necessary.