Open up your web browser, search ‘effective pain remedies’ and you’re likely to be met with thousands of choices. Having options can be a good thing, but when pain hits hard, many find themselves feverishly hunting for the remedy that best suits them. 

Rather than rummaging to find a remedy, we’re bringing it to you by outlining which essential oils are best for pain relief and how to use them. You’ll find it doesn’t hurt to read on and learn more in this short guide. 

Which Essential Oils Help With Pain Relief?

Sure, you may already have an idea of which essential oils offer pain-fighting abilities, but what gives those essential oils their powers? Let’s look at the natural constituents that are essential to soothing pain. 

Alpha-Pinene

A monoterpene responsible for giving plants and oils such as Pine their fresh aroma, a-pinene is highly therapeutic and known for its pain-relieving abilities. 

• A study on several monoterpenes found a-pinene to be efficiently antinociceptive with moderate anti-inflammatory properties.

• Subjects treated with a-pinene-rich Frankincense oil exhibited less pain and swelling than those treated with a placebo.

• Doctors in Turkey aimed to discover the antinociceptive activity of the major constituents in Fennel oil and found a-pinene and fenchone to have the strongest potential. 

Oils containing a significant amount of alpha-pinene include:

• Frankincense Sacra Essential Oil

• Helichrysum Essential Oil

• Cypress Essential Oil

• Frankincense Carterii Essential Oil

• Pine Essential Oil

• Juniper Berry Essential Oil
  
  

Beta-Caryophyllene

Pronounced care-ee-oh-fy-lean, b-caryophyllene is another helpful monoterpene that puts a stop to pain.

• Beta-caryophyllene showed anaesthetic-like activity both in vitro and in vivo after five minutes of application.

• In a lab study, b-caryophyllene was found to boost the effects of morphine when used in combination with each other, thus reducing the need for a higher morphine dosage and lowering the undesirable side effects of morphine.

• Italian scientists investigated the analgesic activity of b-caryophyllene, and found it to be effective when diluted in Sweet Almond oil in both in vitro and in vivo studies.

Oils containing a significant amount of beta-caryophyllene include:

• Copaiba Essential Oil

• Black Pepper Essential Oil

• Hemp Essential Oil

• Ylang Ylang Complete Essential Oil
  
  

Linalool And Linalyl Acetate

Two of the most well-researched essential oil constituents, linalool and linalyl acetate’s ability to ease pain is legendary. 

• A study on Lavender showed its unique pain-relieving ability which was attributed to its main constituents–linalool and linalyl acetate.

• A similar study performed at the University of Sassari in Italy found that the antinociceptive activity of linalool to be significant.

• Lavender oil and its key constituents–linalool and linalyl acetate–were found to significantly reduce pain after 60 minutes of inhalation.

Oils containing a significant amount of linalool and linalyl acetate include:

• Lavender Essential Oil (all varieties)

• Clary Sage Essential Oil

• Bergamot Mint Essential Oil

• Neroli Essential Oil

• Basil Essential Oil

• Thyme Essential Oil
  
  

How To Use Essential Oils For Pain Relief

Once you’ve gathered your pain-fighting essentials, it’s time to put them to good use. 

Massage Oil

Using an aromatherapy massage oil is a great way to soothe muscle tension, joint pain, inflammation such as arthritis or any area that could just use a little TLC. This massage oil recipe combines some of our favorite essential oils for quick pain relief. 

• 8 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

• 6 drops Helichrysum Essential Oil

• 6 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

• 4 drops Roman Chamomile Essential Oil

• 1 oz Coconut Oil

Combine ingredients and massage onto areas of pain or inflammation. Alternatively, try Massage Therapy which contains many of the above oils including Peppermint oil and Chamomile oil.

Diffuser Blend

It may seem hard to believe, but in many cases, you can obtain the benefits of pain relief by just inhaling essential oils. In fact, many times headaches, nerve pain, inflammation and internal pain can benefit from inhalation of essential oils over topical application. Diffuse this blend for 30-60 minutes when pain strikes. This blend is proportioned to 100 ml of water in an aromatherapy diffuser. 

• 4 drops Lavender Essential Oil

• 3 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil

• 3 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil

• 2 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

Want bonus benefits? Together Eucalyptus oil and Rosemary oil can not only help to alleviate pain but open airways and boost energy. 

Roll-On

Along with being easy to take with you, roll-ons are conveniently diluted and ready to use. In general, roll-ons also allow for higher dilution rates because they’re used for spot treatment–a small area–and are applied infrequently. For this recipe, we’ve diluted our essential oil blend to 7% and added deeply healing Clove oil.

• 5 drops Black Pepper Essential Oil

• 5 drops Hemp Essential Oil

• 3 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil

• 1 drops Clove Essential Oil

Add essential oils to a 10 ml roll-on and top off with the carrier oil of your choice. 

Bath

Sometimes, a good soak in the tub can help alleviate muscle pain and general achiness. Pair that with pain-relieving essential oils, and you have yourself a winning combination. Try adding this bath oil to a warm bath to take hold of relief. 

• 2 drops Lavender Essential Oil

• 2 drops Frankincense Essential Oil

• 1 drop Ginger Essential Oil

• 1 drop Basil Essential Oil

• 1 oz Carrier Oil

Note, bath oils can make the bottom of your tub slippery so take caution when exiting your bath. Alternatively, try Circu-Touch bath salt which includes pain-relieving oils of Lavender, Basil and more. 

Simple, Painless Aromatherapy

At Edens Garden, we make aromatherapy simple and painless by providing you with easy to understand, educational resources, so you never have to guess if you’re using essential oils safely and effectively. What’s more, our expert customer care team and aromatherapists are ready to help if you need additional guidance. We’re happy to help, so contact us today with your aromatherapy questions.

If the pain is not going anytime soon, see our essential oils for muscle pain- Sore Muscles & Pain Ease Essential Oil Blend.

Sources:

1. Monoterpenes with Analgesic Activity--a Systematic Review. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23296806
2. α-Pinene, Linalool, and 1-Octanol Contribute to the Topical Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of Frankincense by Inhibiting COX-2. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26721216
3. Antinociceptive Activity of Alpha-Pinene and Fenchone. www.researchgate.net/publication/266416515_Antinociceptive_activity_of_alpha-pinene_and_fenchone
4. Local Anaesthetic Activity of Beta-Caryophyllene. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11482764
5. Involvement of Peripheral Cannabinoid and Opioid Receptors in β-Caryophyllene-Induced Antinociception. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23138934
6. In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of the New Analgesic Combination Beta-Caryophyllene and Docosahexaenoic Acid. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4109702
7. Local Anaesthetic Activity of the Essential Oil of Lavandula Angustifolia. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10630108
8. Profile of Spinal and Supra-Spinal Antinociception of (-)-Linalool. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14757137
9. Antinociceptive and Gastroprotective Effects of Inhaled and Orally Administered Lavandula Hybrida Reverchon ‘Grosso’ Essential Oil. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15519366