Growth Spurt Balm
Growth Spurt Balm
I'm a mother of two young children who these days seem to be growing like weeds which is leaving them experiencing the typical growing pains. So I began looking for a holistic/homeopathic remedy to help alleviate their pain & discomfort. When looking for what ingredients to use I wanted natural ingredients with evidence to support their benefits for pain & discomfort. I've settled on these recipes and they vary based on the age of the child they will be used on in order for them to be safe.
8 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
8 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
4 drops of Black Spruce or Balsam Fir Essential Oil
4 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
8 drops of Copaiba Essential Oil
3 drops of Clove Essential Oil
1/2 cup or 4oz of coconut oil
This recipe makes 4oz at 1% Dilution.
8 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
8 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
4 drops of Black Spruce or Balsam Fir Essential Oil
4 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
8 drops of Copaiba Essential Oil
3 drops of Clove Essential Oil
1/2 cup or 4oz of coconut oil
This recipe makes 4oz at 1% Dilution.
For children 3 months to 24 months:
4 drops of Spearmint Essential Oil
4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
2 drops of Black Spruce or Balsam Fir Essential Oil
2 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
4 drops of Copaiba Essential Oil
1 drop of Clove Essential Oil
1/2 cups or 4oz of Coconut Oil
This Recipe makes 4oz at 0.5% Dilution
There is a reason that there are 3 different recipes and that the age ranges and dilutions are noted. That is because while most essential oils are safe to use in children, there are some that are not and even those that are safe need to be properly diluted prior to being used.
Let' discuss the research and evidence I found to base my recipes off of. First we'll discuss why peppermint was chosen. Peppermint oil was used because of it's ability when used topically to help reduce pain, muscle aches and specifically joint pain. (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/peppermint-oil) Which is exactly what growing pains are. However there is much caution to be used in using peppermint in children, specifically younger children. According to Pediatrician Rachel Dawkins, M.D. from John Hopkins All Children's, the use of peppermint oil in children under thirty months of age can increase the risk of seizures. (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and prevention/are-essential-oils-safe-for-children#:~:text=Be%20mindful%20of%20how%20often,increase%20a%20risk%20for%20seizures.) The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy emphasizes that the peppermint oil should never be used on or around the face of infants or younger children due to the respiratory risks it may pose such as apnea, laryngeal spams and respiratory distress. (https://naha.org/naha-blog/peppermint-safety-info/) This is why only one of the recipes calls for the use of peppermint oil and it is used in a 1% dilution and is for children 3 years and older. Spearmint is still beneficial for the relief of pain from sore and aching joints and it is proven to be safe for children and infants when used with proper dilution.
Lets talk about Lavender, who doesn't love the soothing and calming effect that lavender has which is what makes is perfect to use in children. That's a plus when using the balm prior to bedtime. In addition to having a soothing effect emotionally it also has a soothing effect for pain. Scientifically, the linalool compound present in lavender oil acts on muscarinic, opioid and dopaminergic transmission. (de Melo Alves Silva LC,2023)
Following Lavender I added in a conifer oil. Both Black Spruce and Balsam fir have added benefits for relief but they have different benefits. Black Spruce can be used for pain relief of swollen joints and sore muscles. While Balsam Fir presents a warming effect which is great for soreness as well as pain. The choice on which of these to use is completely based on personal preference. It's really up to if you're wanting additional relief specifically for joints or a soothing warming sensation. Either one is beneficial.
Next lets talk Frankincense, there has to be a reason it was valuable enough the wisemen brought it to Jesus. It has a long standing history for its anti-inflammatory properties. It has the ability to inhibit the inflammation induced by factors such as histamine, prostaglandins, leukotriene, cytokines, tumor necrosis factor and free oxygen radicals. (Almeida-da-Silva CLC,2022) There is also supportive information for other uses of Frankincense such as antimicrobial, anti-cancer, oral health and more.
Copaiba has been reported in studies to show improvement in individuals with joint pain or inflammation without discernible side effects unlike the use of Ibuprofen or Naproxen. "In a recent study of the anti-inflammatory properties of C reticulata/C langsdorffii,11 its major components included β-caryophyllene (56.1%), γ-elemene (12.6%), α-humulene (6.4%), and α-copaene (3.7%). The study showed that copaiba liposaccharide induced nitric oxide production (P < .01) but not lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced prostaglandin E2 production. In addition, copaiba suppressed the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL) 6, IL-8, and IL-1β in LPS-exposed cells. All of those findings suggest that copaiba provides benefits in the treatment of the inflammatory response."(Herbert,2017)
Last but not least is clove essential oil which has a plethora of uses but in this recipe it's use is for it anti-inflammatory and local esthetic properties. Supportive date for the use of clove essential oil can be found in the research article https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8588428/. According to Haro-González, JN (2021) "The anti-inflammatory properties of CEO and eugenol are comparable to diclofenac gel, reducing inflammation by 60 to 20% after 3 h." Also in the same article it was found that "the CEO and eugenol are safe, effective, and inexpensive analgesics, and the analgesic effect of eugenol in different pain models has been well documented [28]" (Haro-Gonzalez, JN, 2021)
All this being said this is the research I found to be supportive enough to give me comfort in using these in my children. As a parent and individual I feel it is important to read up on and research essential oils prior to use. I've noticed there has been an increasing amount of research in the last several years compared to years prior. This is really exciting for those who are looking for a more holistic and homeopathic way of treating ailments instead of going straight to the drug store.
Citations:
de Melo Alves Silva LC, de Oliveira Mendes FC, de Castro Teixeira F, de Lima Fernandes TE, Barros Ribeiro KR, da Silva Leal KC, Dantas DV, Neves Dantas RA. Use of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil as a complementary therapy in adult health care: A scoping review. Heliyon. 2023 Apr 14;9(5):e15446. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15446. PMID: 37153408; PMCID: PMC10160692.
Hebert P, Barice EJ, Park J, Dyess SM, McCaffrey R, Hennekens CH. Treatments for Inflammatory Arthritis: Potential But Unproven Role of Topical Copaiba. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2017 Apr;16(2):40-42. PMID: 30881236; PMCID: PMC6413642.
Haro-González JN, Castillo-Herrera GA, Martínez-Velázquez M, Espinosa-Andrews H. Clove Essential Oil (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): Extraction, Chemical Composition, Food Applications, and Essential Bioactivity for Human Health. Molecules. 2021 Oct 22;26(21):6387. doi: 10.3390/molecules26216387. PMID: 34770801; PMCID: PMC8588428.
Almeida-da-Silva CLC, Sivakumar N, Asadi H, Chang-Chien A, Qoronfleh MW, Ojcius DM, Essa MM. Effects of Frankincense Compounds on Infection, Inflammation, and Oral Health. Molecules. 2022 Jun 29;27(13):4174. doi: 10.3390/molecules27134174. PMID: 35807419; PMCID: PMC9268443.
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