Essential Oils For Joint Pain Relief

Our joints on our body is what enables us to bend our limbs freely.  The places that have joints are our knees, elbows, ankles, shoulders, back (that contains many many many joints), hips, even fingers.  These joints can bring us pain and or discomfort, just like any body parts.  However, the pain and or discomfort comes from inflammation that arises at the location.  And this can be a short term or long term disability including: arthritis, auto immune disorders, or many others.  

Joint pain affects millions of people every year.  In 2014, 14.6 million Americans were affected by sever joint pain.  NSAID analgesics along with other types of pain medications are a part of pain management programs.  There are also essential oils that are used for joint pain.  Medical practitioners and certified aromatherapist can tell you if the essential oils will interact with that prescribed or over-the-counter (OTC) medication.  

Below are a few essential oils for joint pain relief: 

Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil: 
A spice that we all know well and consume it predominantly in desserts: cinnamon, which is a tropical tree with a large and leathery leaf are found around in southern India and Sri Lanka.  From the tree, both the leaves and the bark are used to extract for the essential oil.   As many other anti-inflammatory essential oils, cinnamon oil contains phenols, primarily eugenol.  Additionally,it has a high level of both cinnamaldehyde and aldehyde. 
Cinnamaldehyde may also be helpful in reducing uric acid, found in gout.  
Avoid using cinnamon oil during pregnancy as it can bring sensitivity to skin and irritate mucous membranes.

Clove Bud Essential Oil: 
Belonging to the evergreen family, clove (syzygium aromatic) has large, glossy leaves with buds that mature to a deep red color.  They are generally found in the region of Indoensia.   Clove bud oil comes from their buds and the leaves.  However, it does have aromatic flowers with a sweet and spicy aroma.  Clove bud oil contains high phenol eugenol that gives its anti-inflammatory properties that may be useful in knee joints of arthritic. 

Virginian Cedarwood Essential Oil: 
Often confused with Atlas cedar wood, Virginian cedar wood has a red heartwood that is a conifer tree that is native to North America.  It contains a woody, sweet, balsamic essential oil.  It is also related to juniper and sharing similarities for use and chemical components of: cedrene ()sesquiterpene) and cedrol (sesquiterpene alcohol).

These chemical components are beneficial in inflammation reduction for arthritis. 
Avoid usage during pregnancy as it can cause skin sensitivity.  

Helichrysum Essential Oil: 
A Mediterranean region bright yellow flower and narrow silver leaves are a aromatic herb with rich honey-like scent.  Even when dried out, they will retain their color.  This plant contains both enroll and nearly acetate that gives their anti-inflammatory and healing properties.  Generally used for wound healing and inflammation associated with joint pain. This is a common certified aromatherapists to address bruises and sprains.  
(Mix with lavender oil to address joint pain and inflammation - using sunflower as a carrier oil)

With any of these four essential oils, it is recommended to use a vegetable oil to dilute before applying to skin: 
>> dilute 2% for regular 
>> 65+ years of age:  use 1% dilution
>> Pregnangcy/ youth:  consult certified aromatherapist before any usage

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sources: 
https://www.naturallivingideas.com/essential-oils-for-joint-pain/  
https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/20161006/number-of-americans-with-severe-joint-pain-keeps-rising 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23037170 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18693097 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168704/