One of my famous personal essential oil testimonials is how I got rid of shingles using ravensara essential oil.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a short-lived, serious viral infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.
It is an infection of the nervous system that affects certain areas of the skin.
Shingles are caused by having chickenpox as a child.
During an outbreak of childhood chickenpox, not all viral organisms are destroyed. They hang out and remain quiet – “dormant” – on the nerves of the skin for many years.
When there is severe emotional stress, serious illness, or things that severely affect the immune system, these “dormant” critters wake up and become active again, causing an infection.
The pain is severe and sometimes long-lasting, and the medical approach consists of antiviral medications, steroids, pain relievers, and antibiotics for a possible skin infection.
– and not everyone wants to take this approach (although if the outbreak is near the eyes, you should definitely seek medical attention!)
So once again we thank God for the oils!
I had an outbreak of shingles a few years ago when my mother, who had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, had surgery to remove her kidney.
I was so stressed that I wasn’t paying attention to my body. Interesting how that happens, isn’t it?
Our bodies have to tell us how stressed we are if we are not paying attention.
When I found out I had shingles, I looked up my two favorite resource books: Essential Desk Reference and The Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide from the Burton Goldberg Group.
Both books mentioned ravensara, which I had in my oil collection and loved it for sinus problems.
I immediately took some internally (I had taken ravensara internally before for bronchitis, so I felt comfortable taking it internally again).
I put 7 drops in an empty gel capsule and took one capsule in the morning and one at night. In one day my pain and symptoms disappeared.
I decided to stay on this regimen for 21 days because that is the normal lifespan of a virus. My symptoms stayed away the entire time, except for one day when I forgot to take my dose.
I said to myself “oh, I probably don’t have shingles, I have no symptoms, so I’ll stop taking the capsules.” Well, after a day the symptoms returned, so I resumed to completion.
Now not everyone will be comfortable taking oils internally, so here are ways you can use essential oils topically for shingles discomfort:
They mix:
– 10 drops of sandalwood
– 5 drops of blue cypress
– 4 drops of mint
– 2 drops of ravensara
Dilute 50:50 with massage oil and apply 6 to 10 drops to the affected area, nape, and spine 1 to 3 times a day. (from Essential Desk Reference)
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A case study of six hospice patients with shingles was conducted. Three essential oils combined and placed in distilled water and used as a mist were found to improve shingles symptoms.
The three oils used were:
–ravensara
–bergamot
–niaouli
Aromatherapist Noel Gilligan led this study. Mr. Gilligan reported that after 48 hours:
– there was a significant reduction in pain from shingles
– Healing and healing of the pustules was carried out and in a
example there was a disappearance of the pustules
