If you are interested in exploring more natural healthcare treatments, you may be exploring different essential oils. Essential oils are thusly named because they represent the essence of a plant's odor. There are numerous essential oils on the market that can be used in diffusers or used in skin products with carrier oils. Read on to learn more about monarda essential oils.
What Is Monarda?
Monarda essential oils are derived from plants in the mint family, such as monarda didyma, which has red flowers, or monarda fistulosa, which has pink flowers. This essential oil smells a bit like oregano. Monarda is also sometimes called bee balm since it attracts pollinators. While some essential oils, like lavender, have a calming effect, oils like monarda may have a more energizing effect.
What Are Its Benefits and Uses?
Monarda has been used for a long time for medicinal usage, as the Oswego tribe of American Indians often used monarda tea to treat abdominal pain and mouth/throat infections—although those described benefits are anecdotal in nature. Monarda can be beneficial because of its antiseborrheic and antibacterial properties.
Antiseborrheic Properties
An antiseborrheic product is simply one that helps to control overactive sebaceous glands. For example, shampoos that contain salicylic acid are antiseborrheic products since they break up oils and remove dandruff flakes. One study found that monarda essential oils could provide antiseborrheic and anti-inflammatory effects for people suffering from seborrhea, which can cause itchy red/white scales on the skin. In fact, the same study found that when this oil is combined with vitamin B6, it actually was more effective than hydrocortisone for its anti-inflammatory effects. If you suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or another condition that affects your skin's natural oils, you may want to try using monarda—after consulting with your doctor first.
Antibacterial Properties
One study found that this essential oil could be used against bacterial strains such as E. coli and MRSA. This essential oil worked to a variable degree depending on the bacterial strains, but it had a substantial effect against Streptococcus pyogenes cultures since it resulted in high reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. High levels of ROS can damage bacterial cells. If you want to use more natural cleaning products, then you may want to use monarda punctata essential oils because of their antibacterial properties. If you are fighting a cough or cold, then you could use diffusers or nasal sprays that have been infused with this essential oil. Again, if you are using this essential oil for health benefits, be sure to consult with your doctor first.
To learn more about monarda essential oil products and other essential oils, reach out to a natural health care provider today.
Share16 May 2022
Honey is delicious, so it's easy to think of it as nothing more than a simple treat. However, honey actually has a number of healing properties. For example, propolis, a compound found in honey, can actually help prevent tooth decay and reverse the damage done by gum disease. There's also some evidence that honey may be able to help you get over a cold faster, particularly if you use wild honey gathered in your local area. If you want to know how you can use honey to improve your health, this blog is for you. You may be surprised to find out how many beneficial applications honey can have for your well-being.