Anyone else starting to feel the effects of the change in seasons and the dip into colder temperatures? When my youngest began to complain of throat discomfort this past week, I knew it was time to break out our cold weather survival stash!
It consists of five natural solutions with essential oils---three that you can easily whip up in less than 60 seconds and two staples we keep on hand year-round for grabbing as needed. Chances are you've heard me say this before, but it's worth repeating here: when it comes to addressing occasional, mild health concerns like occasional throat discomfort, we follow two rules of thumb:
- Catch it early and hit it hard.
- Do something every hour (or every 30 minutes, depending on the issue) to support the body's natural mechanisms for healing.
We've learned to pay close attention to our body's signals and to take action at the first sign that something might be off. In this way we're often able to ward off seasonal threats right out of the starting gate and prevent it from taking us fully under!
When it comes to throat discomfort, here are our top five natural strategies:
60-Second DIYs with Essential Oils
1. Lemon-Honey Tea
This is our version of hot tea that doesn't require steeping tea leaves or bags! ;-) All you need is a bottle of Lemon essential oil, raw honey, hot water, and real salt (and maybe some Lemon juice, depending on your preference). We drink a cup first thing in the morning, and repeat once or twice throughout the day, as needed for throat comfort. My simple method of "brewing" is the following:
- Heat up a pot of water on the stove.
- While the water warms up, fill a teaspoon with raw honey, and add 1-2 drops Lemon essential oil. Set this spoonful into a mug.
- Once the water is hot, pour the water into the mug, and stir with the spoon until honey dissolves.
- Add a dash (or two) of real salt and stir.
- *Optional: Stir in one teaspoon of real (not-from-concentrate) Lemon juice (depending on your preference--most of the time we just use the essential oil). Use juice from a freshly squeezed Lemon or a bottle like this one--Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice.
2. Throat Spray
This spray uses five of the top ten essential oils---Lemon, Melaleuca, Frankincense, Oregano, and OnGuard---and is wonderfully soothing to the throat. It's also super protective of and supportive to the immune system! Here's the DIY recipe:
Ingredients and Supplies
Instructions
1. Add essential oils to glass spray bottle, and top off with MCT oil or IQ Mega. The IQ Mega is a great option for sneaking in an extra dose of Omega 3's! (If you use this option, spray should be stored in the refrigerator.)
2. Insert spray top, and shake well to blend.
3. To use, spray throat several times a day as needed for soothing.
We use this one on a daily basis for supporting the immune system (as I shared in this post on immune support), but when addressing throat discomfort, we also apply it directly to the throat---swipe onto the throat area, the back of the neck, and behind the ears. OnGuard and Melaleuca are the star essential oils in this blend! Get the roller recipe here.
Two Staples from our "Natural Solutions" Stash
1. Breathe Respiratory Drops or OnGuard Throat Drops
Both of these are soothing lozenges. We typically think of the Breathe drops for maintaining clear airways and promoting respiratory health, and the OnGuard drops for relieving the throat. Personally, when it comes to soothing throat discomfort, I always opt for the OnGuard drops with its numbing effects of Cinnamon and Clove; but my 7-yr old favors the Breathe drops! Choose the one that better suits your needs and preference. 
Last but not least, these are our go-to at the first sign that we might be coming down with something (and these days, that includes even mild throat discomfort!). The OnGuard softgel is a proprietary blend of the OnGuard essential oil blend, as well as Melissa and Black Pepper essential oils---proven immune support powerhouses! Taking these internally is a fantastic, effective way to derive the full benefits of those oils, and the softgel form makes that internal use easy and convenient. When we're fighting something, I take one softgel about every 4 hours. My youngest (7) takes one in the morning with breakfast and one in the evening before bedtime.
In our most recent bout with throat discomfort, my daughter felt better within the first 24 hours of rotating through each of these things, and the discomfort had completely dissipated after the second day. It's amazing how quickly the body responds when you give it the nourishment needed!
Which of these natural solutions have you tried before or are you most interested in trying? *Do you need any of these top ten essential oils? Email me if you have questions and/or want to get your own stash for below wholesale prices!