Essential Oils for Digestion: Anise, Mint & Citrus Recipe
How essential oils for digestion can help
When your stomach is upset, essential oils for digestion can help by:
Calming muscle spasms (cramps)
Easing nausea
Relieving bloating and gas
Supporting your digestion process
This belly oil recipe includes three essential oils for digestion, each one rich in components that help with all of the above.
The carrier for this blend is pure jojoba oil. (Technically, jojoba is a liquid wax, but it's often called an oil.) The chemical structure of jojoba closely resembles the natural oils produced by human skin, so it tends to be gentle even for sensitive skin.
Jojoba also has a super-long shelf life. Pure, organic, unblended jojoba oil can last 20 years or more!
Let's get to the recipe, and then I'll tell you more about why these essential oils for digestion are so effective.
Anise, Mint & Citrus Digestion Oil
1 oz (30 ml) Jojoba oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
5 drops Spearmint essential oil (Mentha spicata)
5 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)
3 drops Anise essential oil (Pimpinella anisum)
Make this digestion oil in a 1 oz (30 ml) glass bottle.
Pour the jojoba into the bottle, then add your essential oils for digestion, drop by drop.
Close the bottle and shake it gently to thoroughly distribute the essential oils through the jojoba.
Use this recipe after a big meal (or before a big meal, to prepare your stomach), to calm nausea and anxiety that settles in your belly, ease bloating, relieve gas, or if your stomach just feels upset and you're not sure why.
Simply massage your digestion oil into your belly with a clockwise motion.
And don't forget to inhale the aroma of the blend from your palms!
Let's blend together!
How do these essential oils for digestion help
Spearmint essential oil
Mentha spicata
Sweet, minty, and refreshing, Spearmint essential oil contains the ketone called carvone.
It's a rarely occurring component that has powerful cramp-calming effects. Carvone has also shown pain-relieving actions.
Like the other mint oils, Spearmint has a comforting, cooling touch. It gets energy moving by bringing more circulation to the area of application. In this case, that means stimulating and soothing the muscles in and around your belly to support digestion.
Sweet Orange essential oil
Citrus sinensis
Sweet Orange oil contains d-limonene, a well-studied inflammation-calming component that's also a "penetration enhancer."This means that the presence of d-limonene helps your skin absorb a blend more fully, and you'll experience relief that much faster!
Sweet Orange is a traditional essential oil for digestion, being used to ease spasms and support the entire process.
It also adds a bright, fruity scent to this blend that helps balance the strong mint and licorice-like anise.
Anise essential oil
Pimpinella anisum
Anise essential oil has a powerful licorice scent. Just a few drops in this digestion oil go a long way!
It's rich in a component called trans-anethole, which studies show to be anti-spasmodic. It can help the muscles in your belly relax.
Trans-anethole also comes with some significant safety precautions.
In Essential Oil Safety, Second Edition, Tisserand and Young recommend avoiding anise essential oil if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or if you have endometriosis, estrogen-related cancer, or a bleeding disorder. Anise is also contraindicated if you're on anticoagulant medications. It's too strong for sensitive skin and for children under 5 years old.
The authors recommend a maximum topical dilution of 2.4%. We're only using 3 drops in our digestion oil, which is well below 1%, so we're safe!
Another way to use essential oils for digestion...
... is to make an inhaler!
This Happy Belly Inhaler for Digestion recipe is made with Cardamom, Ginger, and two other oils that can calm your belly just by breathing them in.
And if you don't have Anise, Spearmint, or Sweet Orange, the oils in the inhaler recipe can work as good substitutes.
An in-depth look at how you can use essential oils to support your digestive system. Our 60+ minute workshop, 5 Essential Oils for a Happy Belly, teaches you concepts and essential oil remedies to support a healthy digestive system that needs extra situational support. You'll learn why these 5 oils are so effective, and how to use them properly.
REFERENCES
Albuquerque AA, Sorenson AL, Leal-Cardoso JH (1995) Effects of essential oil of Croton zehntneri, and of anethole and estragole on skeletal muscles. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 49 (1): 41-49. Cited by Bowles EJ (2003) The Chemistry of Aromatherapeutic Oils 3rd Edition. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin
Takayama, K., Nagai, T. (1994) Limonene and related compounds as potential skin penetration promoters. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy 20, 4, 677-684.
