Chicken Pox- What to Do Naturally

I was asked a question earlier today if I had any advise about natural remedies for chicken pox.  I only use natural remedies on my own children so I decided to share what I did when my children had chicken pox. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the chicken pox and how it is very contagious. The incubation time is 24 to 21 days after exposure to the virus, so it can take a long time to get over the disease if you have several children.

Aromatherapy sprays are great!

I'm a big fan of aromatherapy sprays because they are so easy to apply. They are not as messy as massage oil blends. I added things such as honey, witch hazel, herbal infusions, and aloe vera gel to the sprays. Aloe vera was added for its anti-inflammatory effect while witch hazel is astringent and aided in drying up the blisters. Honey is antibacterial as well as anti-inflammatory, but is also acted as a carrier for the essential oils since they will not emulsify in the liquids.

 Essential oils that are astringent, promote healing, relieve itching, and are antibacterial have traditionally been used for chicken pox. I used essential oils such as lavender, lemon, bergamot, peppermint in my sprays that I made for my children. 

My favorite spray that I used for my children

1/4 cup distilled Witch hazel lotion - astringent

1/4 cup aloe vera gel - anti-inflammatory

7 drops of lemon essential oil - antibacterial, astringent, anti-inflammatory,

20 drops of lavender essential oils - anti-microbial, antibacterial

7 drops of bergamot essential oils - anti-puritic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory

3 drops of peppermint essential oil - anti-inflammatory, antiviral, astringent, antibacterial,

1 tbls honey - antibacterial, anti-inflammatory

Mix the essential oils with the honey in a glass bowl, add the aloe vera gel. Add the witch hazel and make sure it is all mixed, pour into a spray bottle with a relatively fine nozzle.

You don't need to use all the essential oils listed in the above spray, it can be overwhelming when you see a recipe with lots of essential oils. Follow the dilution guide to make sure that you use essential oils and dilutions that are suitable for your child's age.

You could also mix the above oils with calamine lotion or use these blends instead:

(These blends come from The Reference Guide for Essential Oils by Connie and Alan Higley)

Calamine lotion blend  #1

1 ounce Calamine lotion

5-10 drops of German chamomile essential oil

5-10 drops of lavender essential oil

Mix well, shake before use.

Calamine lotion blend # 2

4 oz. Calamine lotion

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops Roman Chamomile essential oil

Aromatic baths are very healing

I'm also a fan of an aromatic bath since it is an effective way to promote healing and provide a cooling relief for the itching. I like to use baking soda since it is very effective in easing the itching. It is important to use tepid water in the bath for inflammatory conditions. Tepid water will also provide relief for itching and hot spots. For my children I used Roman chamomile, lavender and tea tree.

Bath # 1

1 cup of baking soda

2 drops of lavender essential oil

2 drop of Roman chamomile essential oil

1 drop of tea tree essential oil
Mix the essential oils with the baking soda and add to tepid bath water once the bath tub is filled.

Bath blend # 2
(This blend come from The Reference Guide for Essential Oils by Connie and Alan Higley)

Mix:

1 cup of baking soda

2 drops of lavender

1 cup of soda

What about herbs?

Herbs are wonderful as well. My husband is a Master Herbalist so naturally we use herbs in our home. We do have our disagreements from time to time what is best, I believe essential oils are better and more fast acting in certain situations. However, I haven't turned my husband into an aromatherapist yet. I believe we need to use a combination of therapies along with good nutrition in healing. 

Ways to use the herbs:

Some herbs that historically been used topically for chicken pox are:

Some herbs that historically been used internally for chicken pox are:

Blood purifying or alterative herbs such as burdock, golden seal, safflower, Oregon grape, or yellow dock are especially recommended by Steven Horne to enhance the  immune system to expel the virus from the body. These should be taken with plenty of water. Nature's Sunshine ahas  some great herbal blends that Horne also recommends. The blends are Enviro-Detox, VS-C, and BP-X.

Make sure the diet is good, make healing bone broths, avoid food that promote inflammation, and encourage the intake of healing teas.