How Black Pepper Essential Oil Soothes a Sore Throat
Try Black Pepper essential oil for a sore throat!
When your throat is sore or you can’t stop spastic coughing, you want natural support that’s proven to work. It has to soothe the pain and be strong enough to calm whatever’s causing the soreness in the first place.
This sore throat recipe fits the bill!
One of the main essential oils in it is Black Pepper. I LOVE using Black Pepper for sore throats! Its warming effect is quite comforting for a tender throat.
Black Pepper & β-caryophyllene
Black Pepper oil contains a molecule called β-caryophyllene.
In studies, β-caryophyllene has been shown to calm pain through the body’s cannabinoid receptors. It has some antimicrobial actions that reduce the presence of certain germs, and it may also ease spasms to help relieve coughing.
That means β-caryophyllene offers triple benefits or a sore throat: soothing pain and inflammation, reducing germs, and calming coughs.
β-caryophyllene is one of the main components in Black Pepper essential oil!
This recipe features Black Pepper and three more essential oils for a sore throat in a base of aloe vera gel.
Java Pepper Throat Care Gel
Use this calming gel to soothe sore throat symptoms
Ingredients
1 oz (28 g) Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis)
3 ml Solubol (dispersant)
5 drops Citronella Java Oil (Cymbopogon winterianus)
4 drops Black Pepper Oil (Piper nigrum)
3 drops Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album)
3 drops Thyme Oil (Thymus vulgaris ct. linalool)
Equipment
One 1 fl oz (30 ml) PET plastic bottle with a pop-up top
Directions
Pour the aloe vera gel into the bottle, leaving a little space for the other ingredients.
Add the Solubol and essential oils and tighten the cap.
Gently shake the bottle to combine.
Apply the gel externally on the skin of your throat and chest several times a day. (It’s not for internal use.) This throat gel works well when paired with an inhaler. Try this DIY inhaler from The Aromahead Blog. Simply breathing with it can help soothe a tender throat.
Solubol plays an important role!
Since aloe vera gel is a water-based ingredient, the essential oils won’t stay dispersed through it.
You’ll see this effect when you put drops of essential oil into a diffuser with water. The drops of oil float atop the water. If you tried to apply that to your skin, you’d basically be applying undiluted essential oil—which is very unsafe.
That’s where the Solubol comes in!
Solubol keeps essential oils distributed through watery ingredients—including aloe vera gel. It makes your blend safe for skin application.
Let’s talk about the other essential oils in this recipe!
(We’ve already discussed Black Pepper’s benefits for a sore throat.)
Citronella Java essential oil (Cymbopogon winterianus)
Citronella Java is a softer, more perfume-like version of the bug-repellent Citronella oil. It does work to repel bugs—but it also contains key components that calm inflammation: citronellal and geraniol.
Geraniol is also helpful against germs and microbes—especially bacteria and fungi. Including Citronella Java in your throat care gel, both soothes tender tissues and supports your body against germs.
Sandalwood essential oil (Santalum album)
Sandalwood is a traditional oil for the throat! It’s used to support the body against germs, calm sore, inflamed tissues in the throat, and reduce spasms. Author Salvatore Battaglia recommends it for a “chronic dry cough.”
Sandalwood can also help soothe the worries that sometimes accompany a sore throat. Battaglia says it “has a relaxing effect on the nerves and may be used for hot, agitated emotional states.”
Thyme ct. linalool essential oil (Thymus vulgaris ct. linalool)
Thyme ct. linalool is one of my favorite essential oils for germ-busting—especially if I’m applying it to the skin.
Thyme oil is so powerful against microbes that it was used in field hospitals in WWI! The component thymol has actions against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It’s an amazing pain-soother, too. Yet this chemotype of Thyme contains plenty of linalool, making it gentle enough to be used on a tender throat.
Discover safe, natural solutions to prevent and quickly recover from colds & flu in our 3-hour workshop, Protect Your Family from Colds & Flu!
Learn how essential oils can support your family’s health and well-being, helping you stay well and providing much-needed relief when you’re feeling under the weather. You’ll learn which essential oils can help you prevent and recover from respiratory infections and gain a strong understanding of how and why they work.
REFERENCES
Battaglia, S. (1995) The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. Virginia, QLD: Perfect Potion.
Baylac S, Racine P (2003) Inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase by essential oils and other natural fragrant extracts. International Journal of Aromatherapy 13 (2/3): 138-142.
Benencia F, Courrèges MC. Antiviral activity of sandalwood oil against herpes simplex viruses-1 and -2. Phytomedicine. 1999 May;6(2):119-23. doi: 10.1016/S0944-7113(99)80046-4. PMID: 10374251.
Ghelardini C, Galeotti N, Di Cesare Mannelli L, Mazzanti G, Bartolini A. Local anaesthetic activity of beta-caryophyllene. Farmaco. 2001 May-Jul;56(5-7):387-9. doi: 10.1016/s0014-827x(01)01092-8. PMID: 11482764.
Erligmann, A. (2001) Sandalwood oils. International Journal of Aromatherapy 11, 4, 186-192.
Guimarães, A.G., Quintans, J.S.S. and Quintans-Júnior, L.J. (2013) Monoterpenes with analgesic activity – a systematic review. Phytotherapy Research 27, 1-15.
Katsuyama S, Mizoguchi H, Kuwahata H, Komatsu T, Nagaoka K, Nakamura H, Bagetta G, Sakurada T, Sakurada S. (2013) Involvement of peripheral cannabinoid and opioid receptors in β-caryophyllene-induced antinociception. European Journal of Pain 17, 664–675. doi:10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00242.x.
Kitikannakorn N, Chaiyakunapruk N, Nimpitakpong P, Dilokthornsakul P, Meepoo E, Kerdpeng W (2013) An overview of the evidences of herbals for smoking cessation. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 21 (5): 557-564.
Melo MS, Guimarães AG, Santana MF, Siqueira RS, De Lima Ado C, Dias AS, Santos MR, Onofre AS, Quintans JS, De Sousa DP, Almeida JR, Estevam CS, Araujo BS, Quintans-Júnior LJ. (2011) Anti-inflammatory and redox-protective activities of citronellal. Biological Research. 2011;44(4):363-8. Epub 2012 Feb 10. PMID: 22446600.
Pattnaik, S., Subramanyam, V.R., Bapaji, M., Kole, C.R. Antibacterial and antifungal activity of aromatic constituents of essential oils. Microbios. 1997;89(358):39-46. PMID: 9218354.
Pichette A, Larouche PL, Lebrun M, Legault J. (2006) Composition and antibacterial activity of Abies balsamea essential oil. Phytotherapy Research. 2006 May;20(5):371-3. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1863. PMID: 16619365.
Rota, M.C., Herrera, A., Martinez, R.M., Sotomayor, J.A. and Jordán, M.J. (2008) Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of Thymus vulgaris, Thymus zygis and Thymus hyemalis essential oils. Food Control 19, 681-687.
Su, Y.W., Chao, S.H., Lee, M.H., Ou, T.Y. and Tsai, Y.C. (2010) Inhibitory effects of citronellol and geraniol on nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production in macrophages. Planta Medica 76, 1666-1671.
