DIY Adrenal Fatigue Essential Oils Blend
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If you’re worn out with the stressors of life (and who isn’t these days?) your adrenals could use support, and that support can come in the form of plants. Grab these essential oils for adrenal fatigue and feel the stress melt away.
Adrenal fatigue is gaining a lot of attention these days and whatever you think about it (whether it’s fact or fiction), it’s something I wish I didn’t have personal experience with.
I personally have done a lot of things over the years since I first suspected that I had this, including following an adrenal fatigue diet. But one of the things that has helped me a lot is this DIY Blend of Essential Oils for Adrenal Fatigue.
Whether you are just worn out or are struggling with the symptoms that many alternative practitioners consider to be adrenal fatigue, these essential oils are sure to help.
At one point in my life, I was so bone dead exhausted I could barely function. I couldn’t stand for hymns at church, couldn’t help my kids get ready for bed….I could barely do anything.
Adrenal fatigue isn’t really recognized by mainstream medicine, but it basically is a cluster of symptoms thought to be caused when the adrenal glands aren’t functioning properly.
Some of the symptoms that are thought to accompany this possible condition are:
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Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
- fatigue (sometime severe exhaustion)
- inability to handle stress
- tired in the day / awake at night
- insomnia (tired, but “wired”)
- fatigue even after sleeping
- and many more, including salty cravings, weight gain, low blood sugar, and more
I’ve written a little bit about adrenal fatigue in the past, like this post about Just Tired? Or Something More? and this post on Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms is by a guest blogger.
Basically, adrenal fatigue is a bit of a mystery, but many things contribute to it, like toxins, thyroid issues, blood sugar issues, and anxiety/stress.
And once you have it, it’s hard to get out since it all becomes a vicious cycle.
You’re wiped out and you just. need. answers.
Here’s one simple way to support your adrenals and help you feel and sleep better.
And by simple, I mean really simple.
The only ingredients are 2 essential oils and a carrier oil – and voila! A blend of Essential Oils for Adrenal Fatigue that calms your adrenals down to and possibly help reduce cortisol.
Note that when someone with adrenal fatigue can’t sleep it’s thought to be from (and hormonal tests have shown this) a surge in cortisol. So these oils have been thought by some to help reduce that since smelling rosemary has been shown to reduce cortisol levels. (source)
However, there are some who say that rosemary helps with overall adrenal health and clove has been used to help with energy levels during the day, so please do your own research and see what works for you.
Ingredients
Rosemary Essential Oil – immune support, antibacterial, stress support (where to buy)
Clove Essential Oil – circulation support, energy, also helpful for dental issues, extremely high in antioxidants (where to buy)
Optional Other Oils
Here are a few more oils you could consider adding to the mix for a greater spectrum of benefits.
Clary Sage Oil – great for the adrenals and for many more thing. See this post about Clary Sage essential oil benefits to see everything this oil can do for you.
Lavender Oil – a great calming oil, this too helps support the adrenals.
Use Only Pure Essential Oils
Before we get to the recipe, a few notes about the oils I chose.
If you’d like to read more about the essential oils company that I ended up with after doing a bunch of research into the best essential oils company for my family. Alternatively, you can skip to the end of the series here.
So many oils are adulterated these days, it makes sense to get the best you can afford while being assured that you are buying pure essential oils. I am always looking for ways to remove toxins from our lives, so I for sure don’t want any more toxins on my body or diffused into the air we are breathing.
Some Words of Caution
Rosemary oil has been shown to reduce cortisol when inhaled. At the same time, various aromatherapists recommend rosemary and clove as being beneficial for adrenals.
Please do your own research and/or consult with your physician before using this blend regardless of your situation.
I personally use the oils in this blend pretty frequently–they’re very versatile!
Both rosemary and clove are great Mood Boosting Essential Oils.
Rosemary is also found in my Hair Growth Essential Oil Blend (I use that morning and night, along with non-toxic shampoo).
I’ve used Clove for dental pain / infections, and it’s a main component in my DIY Immune Boosting Blend.
I have found that this blend helps me get better sleep. There are nights when I’ve woken in the middle of the night and have tried just about everything to get back to sleep — Seriphos supplement, passion flower, magnesium oil, EFT, lavender oil, and even the dreaded Benadryl (yikes! I don’t use that any longer but I did in the past).
Finally, I would remember these trusty friends, put them on my adrenals, and pretty soon I’d be back to sleep. So thankful for natural options that work!
Isn’t insomnia the worst?
Ingredients
- Rosemary Essential Oil
- Clove Bud Essential Oil
- Carrier Oil of choice – the most common is FCO (fractionated coconut oil), but others are jojoba oil, almond oil, or grapeseed oil. (where to buy FCO, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil)
- Lavender, Basil, and Peppermint Oil are also good support for your body when it has adrenal issues, so these would be good to add in the mix as well.
Instructions
- Place a drop each of rosemary and clove bud oil in a container (like an empty essential oil bottle or roller bottle). Add carrier oil or lotion to dilute the oils well to about a 5% dilution for short term use, or 1% for long term use.
- Rub the combination on your adrenals, which are located on your middle back, just above your kidneys.
Do you have adrenal fatigue or other adrenal issues?
What has helped you?
Have you did the post on dilution? I was searching your site and have not found anything about dilution.
I haven’t yet – I will see if I can get to that!
I know this will probably sound really strange but as a carrier oil, will olive oil work. That’s just if you wanted to try the blend before spending money on the carrier oil you suggested.
Sure!!! You could us it ongoing if you like!
Mary, I have found, after using so many different carrier oils over the years, that olive oil is the best of them all. Organic, cold pressed, extra virgin. It’s what I use in my food. I don’t use anything else anymore. My skin and hair loves it! Especially my face. The earthy scent of olive oil is totally unnoticeable and blends so well in anything I make with it. I love it.
What oils do you suggest if you have no adrenal function? I had a pituitary chordoma and thus my adrenals are non functioning; I hate taking cortef=cortisone
Hi there -sorry but I can’t medically advise. I am so sorry you are dealing with this!
For all of us who are dilution neophytes, could you give a little more info relative to how to calculate the 5% dilution? I get that if I were to put 5 drops of essential oil and 95 drops of carrier oil into a bottle, I have a 5% dilution, but I hen my brain goes ??? and shuts right on down…
No problem! You want the EO to be 5% of the final product so 1 drop of oil and 19 drops of carrier. What exactly do you want to know :)?
That was it! Thanks for responding. I am praying that this is the answer to years of chronic insomnia – I am exhausted… 🙁
Great! There are so many potential issues going on. This post might be of help: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/causes-of-fatigue/
I know this will probably sound really strange but as a carrier oil, will olive oil work. That’s just if you wanted to try the blend before spending money on the carrier oil you suggested.
Hi there. Sorry for the delay. I thought I had responded to this earlier. Not a strange question at all and yes it will work. You could use that anytime!
I love the sound of this and am going to give it a try. I don’t know whether it will be short term or long term so I am thinking of making a 5% dilution and using it daily for 2 or 3 weeks – and then adding more carrier oil to bring it down to 1% (with a bit of guess work since some of it will have already been used!)…so that I can continue to use it for longer. Does this sound like a sensible option to you? Many thanks
Hi Karen–if you are planning on using it on a daily basis I would stay with the more diluted version. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your help and speedy response..I will take your advice and make a 1% dilution…thanks also for sharing your story
You are so welcome! Thanks for reading and commenting! Hope to see you around again!
You are saying rosmary/clove 1:1 ratio?
Yes — diluted appropriately in a carrier oil.
How often can you apply the roller to your adrenals?
I don’t think there is a statement about how often but if you are going to use it regularly you should dilute it more than if it’s for occasional use. Same with if you are going to use it on a greater area of your skin.
Can you diffuse Rosemary and clove? Is it ok for kids?
Thank you.
Hi there. You can diffuse any essential oil. Clove should be avoided for kids under 10 and some chemotypes of rosemary should be avoided around kids due to high amounts of 1,8-Cineole.
Do you have an email address?
Yes – wholenewmom {at} gmail {dot} com.
So you just need one drop? Usually if it’s an essential oil it’s like 15 drops of each. I just want to make sure.
Hi there — you should really dilute oils a lot so only 1 in carrier oil is good especially if you are going to use this on a regular basis. I will have a post on dilution soon–does that help?
I read your post a while back and have been using this blend but not consistently. I made up a batch this morning and put it on my adrenals. Then I’ve been smelling it all day long and put more on my adrenals this afternoon. This has really helped me as I’ve been feeling the effects of my adrenals not working at full capacity. I’m going to be doing this long-term as long as I need it. Thank you for sharing this with us.
So good to hear and you are so welcome! I love it as well.
Can you break down the amounts in drops? like 5 drops of the oils to 2 drops of carrier or whatever it works out to. And also, I hate to sound like an idiot, but how do I know exactly where to place it, where my kidneys are?????is that 2 inches below my waist or what????
You can look online to see where your adrenals are but they are sitting just on top of your kidneys. As the post mentions, you want to dilute to 5% or 1%. So that would be 2 drops of oil to 200 drops carrier or 40 drops carrier. Hope that helps!
I am confused as to the amount of carrier oil I should use with the 1 drop of rosemary oil and 1 drop of clove oil
Hi Debbe – so if you are going to use this short term you would want a 5% dilution. For long term, 1%. There are 100 drops in a teaspoon so for 1% you would want 2 tsp of carrier. For 5% you could do 1/5 of a tsp. I’m rewriting the post at the moment so that should help too.
Hi, I’m not sure how much carrier oil is needed to dilute to a 5% solution
for the adrenal fatigue oil blend.
Can you give me an idea?
Thanks
You want the resulting blend to be 5% EO so 1/20 of it should be the EOs. Hope that helps!
I’ve read your post about lowing cortisol. It’s fascinating. How you come across increasing cortisol levels? I’m seeing a Functional/Integrative Doctor and we are using different supplements but I love EO and I’d love to add them in. I’ve found tons for lowering cortisol levels.
I haven’t found any yet –sorry!
This is an awesome article! you confirmed what I was researching and I”m so happy to hear your story about it and to know what your steps are. thank-you!!!
Thank you for reading and you’re welcome!
Love your article. How many times a day should you apply it? Also like other essential oils your body acclimates to them over time, have you had to change them up with others?
Thanks
Jan
I use it when I feel my cortisol is too high. I haven’t heard about the body acclimating to them. Please tell me more. Thanks!
I am interested in making a roller bottle using these oils. How many drops of each would you suggest in a 10 ml?
You just have to do the same ratio and it will work out. Are you able to calculate that?
Oh, and Vetiver is supposed to be very anti-stress?
I have a post on that as well :). https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/vetiver-essential-oil/
What about Clary Sage? I read that its effective against adrenal fatigue.
Hi there. I have read that it can be stimulatory but this post might have helpful information. Anything that helps you have balance reduces stress on your body and so can help w/ adrenal issues: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/clary-sage/
I could not sleep for several years and only got by on 3.5 to 4 hrs a night and would never yawn or get sleepy naturally. I would have to drug myself to sleep with benadryl and then due to back pain issues a half of a vicodin. During the weekend I would sleep 11 or 12 hours which is probably the thing that prevented me from getting a lot more seriously ill than I was. I went to see my doctor and all my he offered me was a prescription for Trazodone but that affected my memory and left me groggy so i quit taking it. I started seeing a Naturopath In October who diagnosed me with a HPA axis imbalance and has given me HPA Balance which I take twice a day and also something called Sleep Easy which I take at night before bedtime with 1mg of melatonin. For the first time in years I have actually yawned and gotten sleepy and now am getting most nights around 6 hrs of sleep but still sleeping on weekends. Still have work to do in developing good sleep habits so I can get 8 hours a night and stop the long sleeping on weekends but you do what you have to do to survive.
From an energy perspective, since I am not allergic to dairy, the thing that helped me tremendously is the Budwig Protocol. For those who want to read up on it – there are a couple of good resources – the FlaxSeed Oil2 group on Yahoo (you need a yahoo userid to read the forum) or on Facebook there is a Group called Budwig Protocol that is hosted by Dr. Om Verma and also Lothar Hirneise who was a student of Dr. Budwig. Forgive my late night rambling…I am yawning so going to bed.
Wow. This is SOOOO interesting b/c my new practitioner was telling me that HPA axis issues were at the root of all / many disease. I am just starting to dig into this. However, one thing she said is that we are all or almost all estrogen dominant so that flax is a big no no. I would be very interested in hearing what you think about this since Budwig leans heavily on flax. Thanks!