January 2, 2010

Essential Oil Teething Remedy

Posted in Children's Remedies, Essential Oils tagged , , , , , , , , , at 6:33 pm by moondeva

OK mommies and daddies – a lot of you have teething babies at home. Here’s a remedy for you. Well, for your baby.

Clove Bud Essential Oil (Syzygium aromaticum) has anesthetic properties and is used by dentists to numb the gums before administering shots. It’s surprisingly numbing. Adults can try a drop on a finger or cotton swab directly on their own gums to feel the effect. For teething babies the essential oil needs to be diluted in a carrier oil. Pretty much any nice organic vegetable or nut oil will do (olive, almond, grapeseed, jojoba…). Read the bottom 0f the post for suggestions on where to get good, therapeutic-grade essential oils. 

In a nice clean (small) bottle or jar:

2 drops Clove Bud essential oil 
1 teaspoon carrier oil
(store in a cool place, not exposed to direct sunlight)

Test a bit on your own gums and tongue so you make sure it’s a delicate effect.  My baby absolutely loves this remedy and shows it by eagerly opening is mouth for my finger when he sees me getting the bottle. I just dip the tip of my finger in the bottle and rub the mixture all over his gums. You could also use a cotton swab instead of your finger. I don’t suggest adding the mixture to the surface of teething toys since it could easily make it’s way into baby’s eyes and be very irritating.

If for any reason your baby has a strong adverse reaction to this remedy, immediately apply some of your plain carrier oil to the gums. This will immediately dilute the blend and restore comfort. This goes for any essential oil that might accidently get into your eye – immediately wash area with plain carrier oil.

Sourcing therapeutic-grade essential oils:
If you are in the vicinity of a good health-food store, most will have a decent selection of medicinal quality essential oils. Good common brands are Aura Cacia, Floracopeia, and Wyndemere. If you would like to order through me online, you can visit my YoungLiving Essential Oils affiliated website http://www.youngliving.org/nicoleb

Stay tuned for how to use the rest fo that bottle of Clove Essential Oil after the teething days are gone. If you have any questions about this or other essential oil/aromatherapy needs, feel free to contact me by email or in comments. nicole “at” anamiyoga “dot” com