There are times when we experience muscle and joint pains, especially for older people. Just like headaches, chronic pain is also usually caused by poor blood circulation and inflammation. For example, when a muscle or joint is injured because of overuse or trauma, the white blood cells will rush to the area to fight off foreign invaders that can cause infection to the injured area. Due to this attempt to protect the affected area, it becomes swollen and painful.
Pain and inflammation, aside from physical injury or trauma, can also be caused by emotional trauma due to anxiety, stress, and fatigue. Many over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines can help in treating muscle pain. However, these medicines are not meant to be taken for an extended period.
When you have muscle and joint injuries, it might take a while to heal because joint and muscle tissues require a long time to repair. It means that it’s dangerous to treat these types of injuries with anti-inflammatory drugs. Aside from that, oral medications may take a while to take effect because they will travel first through the digestive tract before being absorbed into the bloodstream.
If you want to treat muscle and joint pains more quickly and naturally, using sandalwood oil can help you with that.
Sandalwood Oil for Pain and Inflammation
Sandalwood oil can treat pain and inflammation quicker because it is applied topically to the skin. It will be absorbed through porous skin tissue, penetrating the joint and muscle tissue beneath the surface of the skin. It also offers additional benefits compared to using commercial drugs.
Sandalwood oil is a natural sedative, and it has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. Aside from that, it also has analgesic and anti-rheumatic properties which can also help in relieving pain and inflammation. Sandalwood oil can also help prevent spasms, and it works to calm the nerves resulting from stress and anxiety.
Pain can trigger emotional distress. Therefore, if you apply sandalwood topically to the skin, aside from reducing the inflammation, it will also give you the added benefit of reducing stress caused by the pain. Using the oil to your skin will not put your skin at risk of side effects as well, unlike when taking oral anti-inflammatory medications where it’s common to result in skin problems and allergies.
If you want to try using sandalwood oil to treat pain and inflammation, here are some of the amazing ways you can try.
Sandalwood Oil Massage Method for Pain Relief
One of the best ways to use sandalwood oil to relieve muscle and joint pain is by massaging it to the affected area. Massages are a great way to reduce the stress in our body, and it also helps in calming and relaxing both our minds and bodies.
Here are the steps you can follow if you want to try massaging sandalwood oil to relieve joint and muscle pains.
- Find an empty 20 oz squeeze bottle with a lid that twists off. Rinse the inside of the bottle, thoroughly using hot water to make sure that it is clean.
- Get a small funnel and put it into the mouth of the squeeze bottle.
- Get a carrier oil. This can be any oil you want, such as olive oil and jojoba oil. It is important to use a carrier oil that is thin enough to spread on the skin quickly.
- Using the funnel, fill the squeeze bottle entirely with the carrier oil.
- After that, get the bottle of your sandalwood essential oil. Open the bottle and put 30 drops of it into the squeeze bottle filled with carrier oil using the funnel. To do this effectively, you can flip the sandalwood oil bottle vertically and shake it right above the funnel’s mouth. When you do this, one drop of oil will fall out at a time.
- After putting 30 drops of sandalwood oil, return the lid of the squeeze bottle then shake it for 50 seconds. This way, the two oils will mix together.
- After mixing, pour a tablespoon of the mixture into your hand. Rub your hands together then massage the oil mixture into the affected area for 30 seconds.
You can do this sandalwood massage method as often as you want, or for as long as you have muscle and joint pains.
Sandalwood Oil Soaking Method for Overall Pain Relief
If you want to quickly relieve your muscle and joint pain, another way you can try is the sandalwood oil soaking method. Aside from removing pain and inflammation, this method will also help you relax, especially after a long and tiring day from work. Here are the steps to do this method.
- Go to your bathroom and make sure that the windows and doors are closed. Turn off the exhaust fan as well.
- Fill your bathtub with warm water. The temperature should be warm enough to create steam, but not very hot because you will be sitting in it later on.
- While the bathtub is still being filled with water, put about 25 drops of sandalwood essential oil into it. You can do this easily by shaking the bottle up and down with vigor.
- After that, wait until the bathtub is filled with water. Then, turn the faucet off.
- After filling the tub, soak in it for at least 30 minutes. That should help relieve your muscle and joint pain.
You can do this soaking method once every day, until your muscle and joint pains are treated.
Sandalwood essential oil is indeed beneficial in relieving pain and inflammation. It is a much safer way to alleviate muscle and joint pains, and can also help you relax and feel calm. Therefore, the next time you experience pain and inflammation, you might want to give sandalwood oil a try.