Oregano Oil for Bronchitis and the Flu
One of the most effective natural remedies my family has used is oregano oil-infused hot steam. When my son Lucas began to recover from his severe eczema, chronic diarrhea, and imbalance of the microbiome, his immune system was very weak and he became sick frequently—every six weeks or so. He didn’t just get a cold, he would immediately get bronchitis and have trouble breathing.
In one of the first occasions our son had bronchitis, we took him to the pediatrician. The doctor was very concerned when she heard Lucas’ lungs. His oxygen levels were below normal fluctuating between 87 percent to 90 percent. She gave him a breathing treatment with Albuterol which brought his oxygen level up to 92 percent but it quickly began to drop again. Therefore, the doctor sent us to the emergency room for further treatment.
At the hospital, the doctor wanted to admit our son and give him steroids because his oxygen levels remained low after repeated breathing treatments with Albuterol. Lucas’ wheezing was apparent and he had shortness of breath. The doctor estimated that our son would need to be hospitalized at least four days. She also warned that if we did not give him the steroids, he would most likely develop pneumonia. Our son had just began healing from all his health conditions and we knew that a hospital stay and the steroids would significantly set him back. But, we were blessed with a doctor who understood our concern and trusted us to know our child best. She let us go but requested that we go see a doctor first thing in the morning. We got home at around 1:30 am.
That night I didn’t sleep. I was up every hour doing oregano oil steams for my son. I was going to avoid the hospital and the steroids at all cost. God blessed my efforts and by morning time Lucas was breathing significantly better. We continued the oregano oil breathing treatments throughout the day and by the next night, Lucas did not need them anymore! The next day, he was back to himself. It took him just two days to clear the cough. Since then we have been very faithful to use the oregano oil breathing treatments any time Lucas, or any of us, gets sick.
Oregano Oil for Healing
Oregano oil has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. We also know that heat kills viruses and bacteria. Therefore, when you combine the properties of the oregano oil with hot steam, you get a perfect remedy for respiratory infections.
You can use this remedy at the first sight of illness, but it is also highly effective when you are very ill. We have used this treatment for bronchitis multiple times. It opens the lungs within 24 to 36 hours, unlike steroids that take days to reduce inflammation.
The Treatment
You will need to use oregano essential oil, not oil of oregano. Be cautious not to get the oil on your hands or any other part of your body, as it will burn you. It is very strong! (I learned this the hard way.) If you have an oregano plant in your garden, you can also grab a large bunch and boil that as well.
This treatment can be done with children and even infants. However, you must ensure the steam does not burn them. I give further tips on how to do it with children below.
Items you will need:
- Medium sized pot
- Filtered water
- Oregano essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil (optional)
- A spoon
- Large towel or bed sheet
- A comfortable place to sit with a table
Method:
- Fill a medium sized pot halfway with filtered water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat keeping it covered so the steam does not get away.
- Place it on a table where you can sit comfortably.
- Add one drop of oregano essential oil to a spoon and add it to the hot water, close the lid immediately.
- Put the towel or bed sheet over you and slowly, partially, open the lid of the pot. Be careful not to burn yourself! The oil will smell very strong at first, but it will quickly fade.
- Breath in as deep as you can to get the hot steam into your lungs. For 20 minutes, continue to breath in the steam through your nose and mouth.
- Add one drop of oregano oil every few minutes as the effect wears off. I also like to add a drop of eucalyptus oil in between.
- Add boiling water every few minutes if the steam begins to fade.
How often should you do the oregano oil treatment?
This will depend on the difficulty you are having to breath. If you are having shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest retractions, you will need to do the treatment every one to two hours. As symptoms improve, you can space out the treatments. Continue doing the treatment until you are breathing well again. On the other hand, if you are at the beginning stages of illness and don’t feel your lungs affected yet, you may do the steam only twice a day to prevent the infection from growing in your lungs.
**Using an essential oil diffuser will not have the same effect, as you need the hot steam to kill the virus.
Method for Young Children
The instructions will be the same as above but with little children we want to focus on safety. Get a king size bed sheet and think of a safe place where you could put the hot pot and do the treatment with your child. I suggest you use a large bed sheet so that you have enough space for yourself, your child, and a safe distance between your child and the hot pot.
Another measure to prevent burns is to wrap a towel or two around the pot. Your child will want to get out of the steam so be prepared to keep him safe from the pot. Be prepared to distract them, as this treatment takes time and patience. Your child may cry. Do the treatment for as long as you can, up to 20 minutes.
Doing this treatment with children will require a bit of trial and error, but I will share how we have done it with our son. When our son was two years old, the only way we could get him to stay under the sheet safely and long enough was to do the treatment while he slept. I would put a chair right next to his bed with the steaming oregano oil pot and put the large bed sheet over us. It will be difficult for the children to tolerate the steam for too long. Therefore, it is a good idea to do it while they sleep so they can breathe it in for a longer time.
Now that our son is 4 years old, we do it on his little play table and let him watch YouTube videos. Our son doesn’t get any screen time so when he does, he is very excited to sit still while we do the treatment.
Every child is different. Pray about it and let God guide you. If your child cannot tolerate it for more then a few minutes, try doing it in short, frequent increments. Remember that it is God who ultimately heals, so even if you manage to do it only for a few minutes, trust that with God’s blessing, it will be effective.
9 replies on “Oregano Oil for Bronchitis and the Flu”
Just finished reading through this again—thank you for sharing your story and these helpful steps!!!
This is definite by far best treatment for upper and lower-respiratory infections!
How do you use the fresh or dried oregano leaves for steaming?
You will need to grab a large handful of fresh oregano branches and simmer them in water for 30 minutes or so. Then breath in the steam. The same method for dried oregano, maybe start with 1/4 cup and increase as needed. You will want it to feel very strong. I recommend having the oregano oil always at hand because it is much stronger and simpler, but if all you have is fresh or dried oregano, go for that.
I really appreciate you sharing this. My 20month old baby has just had a cold and we had a really hard time with his runny nose and obstruction at night. I will definitely do it in the future! God bless your family!
Hope it is a blessing for your family. This remedy has been essential for my son many times!
Thank you so much for sharing. I have a close friend fighting chronic bronchitis in hospital all summer. Going to try this .
Hi, if you have no EO but the normal Oregano oil will it do?
It won’t be nearly as strong, so you will need to use many more drops. But yes, you can use whatever you have at hand.