On average we take more than eight million breaths per year. Something so vital that we do mostly unconsciously. When something affects our breath we soon know about it. Proper breathing brings better health including stress reduction, insomnia prevention, emotion control and improved attention. However, GBD found in 2017 that that nearly 545 million individuals were at that time currently living with a chronic respiratory condition, representing 7·4% of the world's population.
Aromatherapy can help breathing conditions in a variety of ways as some essential oils can help reduce inflammation in the airways, easing breathing difficulties associated with asthma and similar. Other oils have bronchodilator effects, meaning they can help widen the airways, making it easier to breathe and most essential oils can aid with relaxation and stress reduction for those with links to anxiety and their breathing difficulties.
Hyssop (Hyssopus officnalis) has been traditionally used to treat bronchitis, asthma, hay fever, coughs and colds, emphysema and influenza. I find it particularly useful for allergy linked breathing conditions and studies have shown that the Germacrene D molecule in hyssop is a sesquiterpene that has an anti-inflammatory effect on allergic tissue and is present in hyssop 2%. Other research has found that hay fever symptoms were found to be significantly improved in symptoms of itchy nose and eyes and watery eyes due the oils rosmarinic acid content.
Silver fir (Abies Alba) has a pleasant fresh wood fresh wood aroma and this oil safe to use on most people, chemically it is full of monoterpenes with 35% limonene and 18-31% alpha pinene and up to 22% beta pinene. Silver fir is very effective for treating arthritis, aches and pains, rheumatism, bronchitis, coughs, flu and sinusitis. It is also immuno-stimulant against the common cold. It is cleansing without the power of oxides that are present in some essential oils. I find sometimes these strong oils can trigger breathing difficulties rather than help. Holmes states that fir is a bronchial relaxant and antitussive making it useful for the treatment of spasmodic asthma and similar conditions.
In addition to possessing anticatarrhal and expectorant properties. Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) is known to “deepen the breath” and can help relieve “tightness in the chest”. It has been used for centuries alongside meditative practises to help calm breath patterns. (Lee, Hye-Youn et al ,2008) conducted a studie where results suggested that inhaled Boswellia Sacra EO as a immunomodulator in Th1/Th2 mediated asthma may have therapeutic potential for the treatment in allergic airway inflammation. In traditional Chinese medicine resin oils are generally considered warming and drying and known to address dampness which translates into respiratory tract infections.
References
Al-Khalaf, Maha. "Rosemary and Rosemaric acid effects on induced bronchial asthma in mice." International Journal of Academic Research 5.2 (2013).
Lee, Hye-Youn, Mi-Young Yun, and Sang-Mo Kang. "Anti-inflammatory effect of Boswellia sacra (Franckincense) essential oil in a mouse model of allergic asthma." Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters 36.4 (2008): 343-352
Mojay, Gabriel. Aromatherapy for healing the spirit: Restoring emotional and mental balance with essential oils. Inner Traditions/Bear & Co, 2000.
Wesolowska, Aneta, and Dorota Jadczak. "Comparison of the chemical composition of essential oils isolated from hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) with blue, pink and white flowers." Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants 21.4 (2018): 938-949.
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