Camphor oil is an excellent natural versatile preparation that can be used to maintain beauty and improve health. It helps especially well with a strong cough, since it combines the effect of warming and inhalation at the same time. You can use camphor oil for both adults and children.
Beneficial features
Pure camphor oil used to be literally worth its weight in gold. And not only because for our latitudes it is an exotic product. It is extracted from the wood of camphor laurel, which grows in warm eastern countries: China, India, Japan. Camphor itself is a tree resin, which we dissolve in a special way in the base oil. It was in the east that local healers discovered the unique medicinal properties of camphor oil.
At first, we used it as a natural flavoring agent - it has a recognizable specific smell. By the way, insects don't like the smell of camphor oil at all - it perfectly repels mosquitoes. But its most valuable properties are not these, but those that allow it to be used as an effective medicine:
- bactericidal;
- antiseptic;
- anti-inflammatory;
- wound healing;
- stimulating;
- fortifying.
Even the simple introduction of a small amount of camphor oil under the skin has a powerful complex effect on the entire body. It stimulates metabolic processes, activates immunity, improves blood circulation, strengthens blood vessels, and normalizes heart function.
But in order to get rid of a cough, which is most often caused by a common cold or respiratory diseases of a viral nature, it is not necessary to do rather painful injections. Using camphor oil for coughing can be much simpler, but no less effective methods.
Application methods
There are several ways to use camphor oil for coughing: in the form of inhalation, rubbing, warming compresses and as a mixture. Below are the simplest yet effective recipes that will help you quickly cope with even the most severe unproductive cough:
- Compress. Camphor compress is able to replace mustard plasters and is also an inhalation at the same time, since essential oils evaporating when heated penetrate deeply into the respiratory tract, destroying the pathogenic microflora, facilitating breathing and relieving inflammation. For the compress, it is necessary to prepare in advance clean gauze, folded in several layers. Smear the skin with a thick layer of nourishing cream to prevent burns. Heat the oil in a water bath, dip folded gauze in it and squeeze well. Put on the bronchial area, straighten, cover with a piece of cellophane, and on top with a folded terry towel. When applying the compress, the area of the heart must be avoided! Keep it on for up to 40 minutes, then remove it, wipe the skin with a napkin soaked in warm water, wipe it dry and lubricate it with a soothing cream in case of severe redness.
- Trituration. Children over 5-6 years old can be rubbed with camphor oil preheated in a water bath. The area of the bronchi is rubbed in front and on the back - the zone of projection of the lungs. Then the child should be dressed in a thick cotton T-shirt and put to bed. Therefore, it is better to do the procedure before bedtime. If this is a daytime dream, then in the afternoon it is no longer possible to go outside. A child 2-6 years old has too sensitive skin, so warm camphor oil should be added to baby cream or diluted in half with neutral vegetable (olive, sunflower, grape). Adults can enhance the warming effect of rubbing by mixing camphor oil with vodka or an alcoholic tincture of medicinal herbs (calendula, St. John's wort, sage). Warming up will be even deeper if you do the procedure before bed and at the same time wear warm socks. Rubbing with vodka when coughing should never be done at a high temperature!
Inhalation. They help well against coughs of any nature (except allergic ones) due to the complex healing effect of camphor oil. The easiest way is to pour 10-15 drops of oil into a regular inhaler. If you don't have it at hand, then you can use an ordinary saucepan with water or decoctions of the medicinal herbs listed above. Then cover your head with a towel and breathe in vapors for 10-15 minutes. It is very important to keep your eyes closed during the procedure so that the conjunctiva of the eyes is not irritated. By the way, for adults, a cosmetic effect will be a pleasant bonus - this procedure significantly improves the condition of the skin. But the baby's face can be annoying with such steam. Therefore, it is better for a child to take a dish with a small diameter, twist a cone of thick paper, cut off its tip and let the child breathe through such an impromptu tube.
Inhalation. They help well against coughs of any nature (except allergic ones) due to the complex healing effect of camphor oil. The easiest way is to pour 10-15 drops of oil into a regular inhaler. If you don't have it at hand, then you can use an ordinary saucepan with water or decoctions of the medicinal herbs listed above. Then cover your head with a towel and breathe in vapors for 10-15 minutes. It is very important to keep your eyes closed during the procedure so that the conjunctiva of the eyes is not irritated. By the way, for adults, a cosmetic effect will be a pleasant bonus - this procedure significantly improves the condition of the skin. But the baby's face can be annoying with such steam. Therefore, it is better for a child to take a dish with a small diameter, twist a cone of thick paper, cut off its tip and let the child breathe through such an impromptu tube.Perfectly relieves cough and spasms of the bronchi and larynx warm milk with the addition of 5-6 drops of camphor oil (recipe for adults only!). It even helps to stop the asthma attack of asthma.
Many other methods can be found on the Internet, but they differ from each other only in the presence of additional ingredients.
Features and contraindications
Since camphor oil is a strong biologically active agent, it is not suitable for everyone. There are few contraindications to use, but they are categorical and must be strictly observed. The use of camphor oil is prohibited:
- for children under 2 years old - due to the fact that it contains a large amount of volatile essential oil, which will irritate the delicate mucous membranes of the child, and, if inhaled for a long time, can cause intoxication;
- for those suffering from epilepsy - camphor oil specifically affects the brain, activating certain centers; for a healthy person, this increases vitality, but in a patient it can provoke an epileptic seizure;
- in case of skin diseases and violation of the integrity of the skin in the area where the oil is applied - this can cause severe burning, irritation, deterioration of the skin condition;
- undiluted - for people with very dry, thin or hypersensitive skin, as there may be burns or severe irritation.
Pregnancy is not a direct contraindication, however, due to a strong specific odor, there may be an individual intolerance during this period. Often, an allergic reaction occurs to camphor oil. Therefore, before using it for the first time, especially in children, it is necessary to do a test. To do this, apply a small amount of oil, or a mixture prepared on its basis, on the back of the wrist. If within 2 hours there are no manifestations of allergy, you can safely use it.
