What Are Hemorrhoids? Why Are They Caused?

Hemorrhoids or piles are swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum (something like varicose veins). Depending on the location, they can be internal or external. Hemorrhoids have many causes – pregnancy, obesity, postural defects, constipation, etc. In most cases, the reason is unknown. The swollen veins can lead to the formation of an extremely painful blood clot, which sometimes needs to be lanced surgically. To avoid surgical procedures, alternative therapies like homeopathy, naturopathy, and aromatherapy are being popularly used, and they are highly successful in reducing the severity of hemorrhoids with minimal or no side effects. The most helpful and affordable of all the options is using essential oils like tea tree oil, geranium oil, juniper oil, frankincense oil, clove oil, cypress oil, myrtle oil, etc. Let’s get into the details of which essential oils you can use and how. Scroll down!

14 Best Essential Oils For Hemorrhoids

1. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has antimicrobial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties that can heal cuts, wounds, allergies, psoriasis, and other skin problems (1). It can also prevent microbial infections and accelerate the healing of damaged blood vessels with its antioxidant activity. Applying tea tree oil to the affected area can relieve the pain, itching, and burning sensation due to the swollen blood vessels. Do a patch test and dilute it in a carrier oil before applying it to your anus because some people are sensitive to crude tea tree oil. If you are not sensitive to tea tree oil, apply it generously to the affected area on the rim of the anus using a soft cloth or cotton wool. It is better to mix a few drops of tea tree oil with a carrier like coconut oil, castor oil, or almond oil to avoid itching and irritation.

2. Geranium Essential Oil

Chinese and Iranian medicine use geranium oil to cure dysentery, inflammation, microbial infections, wounds and cuts, and even cancer. Geranium essential oil is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic agent because of its phytochemical content. It has terpenes like citronellol, linalool, trans-geraniol, cadinene, and germacrene D as its primary constituents. Geranium oil is an important player in aromatherapy because it has a relaxing effect on your mind, improves circulation, stimulates and clears lymphatic system, aids detox, and helps overcome addictions. Thanks to its medicinal properties, geranium oil gives maximum relief from hemorrhoids, indigestion, constipation, and phlebitis (2).

3. Dill Oil

Dill is used as a flavoring agent in global cuisines and has multiple medicinal benefits, especially for your GI tract. It cures indigestion and flatulence, relieves stomach cramps, and lowers cholesterol. And dill oil can heal wounds when applied topically. Dill essential oil contains carvone, limonene, and phellandrene that have an analgesic (pain killing) effect. Carvone also improves circulation (3). These properties make dill oil an ideal candidate to treat bleeding external hemorrhoids. Don’t you think?

5. Juniper Oil

Juniper oil was used in ancient Turkish medicine for its antinociceptive, antioxidant, antiseptic, diuretic, analgesic, antirheumatic, and antimicrobial properties. Juniper oil contains alpha-pinene, myrcene, sabinene, and beta-pinene, which have incredible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (4). Applying it to hemorrhoids reduces the inflammation, pain, sepsis (if any), and bleeding while passing stool drastically.

6. Lavender Oil

Another essential oil known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, lavender oil is one of the commonly recommended ingredients in aromatherapy. It promotes overall well-being by soothing the strained nerves, improving blood circulation, relieving the soreness of your body (when massaged with), managing anxiety and depression, and healing wounds and mild skin rashes. As a result, lavender oil reduces the size and severity of hemorrhoids and allows pain-free bowel movements.

7. Frankincense Oil

Frankincense is a sticky resin extracted from the plant Boswellia serrata. It has been traditionally used in folk medicine to cure various inflammatory and chronic diseases. Frankincense oil is made by steam distillation of the sticky resin, and it has excellent therapeutic properties – including antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic, diuretic, and anticancer effects (5). Since frankincense oil is rich in monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, alcohols, and esters, using it as an alternative medicine for hemorrhoids can give quick relief from pain, reduce the inflammation, and cure constipation (6).

8. Chamomile Essential Oil

Chamomile essential oil has been extensively used in Unani, homoeopathy, and several traditional medicinal preparations. It has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and sudorific effects on your body. It can heal wounds, skin lesions, boils, and even hemorrhoids when applied topically (7).

9. Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood oil or white sandalwood is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and is widely used in Indian folk medicine to cure skin allergies. It has potent analgesic and antipyretic actions – if you are running a high temperature, it can bring the fever down and give you lasting relief. This cooling property comes into play when it is applied to the hemorrhoids. It reduces the excruciating pain and can prevent infections because of its disinfecting effect (8).

10. Cypress Oil

Cypress essential oil has high levels of pinene, carene, limonene, α-terpinolene, and related terpenes that are anti-inflammatory agents. It is a potent astringent and can heal open or injured blood vessels quickly. Cypress oil can treat a toothache, bleeding wounds, bruises, pimples, sores, and even hemorrhoids. It is very gentle on your skin and stops the bleeding from external hemorrhoids almost immediately (9). It has a soothing smell and exhibits high antimicrobial activity. You can try using soaps, creams, and lotions rich in cypress oil to lessen the severity of hemorrhoids.

11. Patchouli Oil

Patchouli oil has antimicrobial, antiseptic, disinfectant, astringent, decongestant, deodorant, insecticidal, antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, laxative, and vulnerary properties. Phew! That’s a long list – thanks to its phytochemicals eugenol, pinene, benzaldehyde, patchoulenone, and various sesquiterpenes. And that’s why patchouli oil is one of the best home remedies to treat hemorrhoids. The combined action of anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, astringent, and laxative effects rapidly cures severe hemorrhoids and also prevents constipation (10). Gently massage a few drops of patchouli oil with your fingers into the affected area or on the rim of the anus.

12. Helichrysum Oil

Helichrysum essential oil extracted from the Helichrysum italicum plant has been used for centuries to treat conditions like allergies, indigestion, cold and cough, wounds, bruises, and constipation.

Pacholi or Patchouli is extensively used in India to scent fabrics. Indian inks were scented with patchouli. Such inks fixed the color, and the alcohol Patchoulol aided the inks to dry more quickly!

Because of its anti-inflammatory property and tissue growth-stimulating and analgesic effects, helichrysum oil can be used to treat hemorrhoids. Applying the oil on painful and piercing hemorrhoids can give you great relaxation and gradually ensure free bowel movements.

13. Myrtle Essential Oil

Myrtus communis is a medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean and Asian subcontinents. Myrtle oil is extracted from different parts of the plant and has notable therapeutic properties – including antimicrobial, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, lipolytic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, decongestant, antirheumatic, hemostatic, vulnerary, and digestive properties. Myrtle essential oil has bioactive compounds like linalool, eucalyptol, pinene, terpineol, and geranyl acetate, which reduce inflammation of the veins, causing the hemorrhoids to swell, soften the surrounding tissues, and prevent them from bleeding and worsening (11).

14. Clove Essential oil

Clove oil is extracted from the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllata L. plant and finds its use in wound healing and pain relieving and in global cuisines. The active constituents of clove oil are carvacrol, thymol, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde. These give it its characteristic antifungal, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anesthetic, and insecticidal properties (12). Clove oil can promote healing, relieve pain and swelling due to inflammation of the veins in the renal cavity, and keep sepsis-causing secondary infections at bay. Congratulations and thank you for reading your way till here! You now are aware of most of the options available to safely treat hemorrhoids at home. Hold that thought! How safe are they? After all, they are herbal extracts and potent allergens that are capable of triggering hypersensitivity in your body. Aren’t they? Should you be cautious? Scroll down for the answers!

What Precautions Should You Take While Using Essential Oils?

Potency Of The Essential Oil

Although they offer relaxation and pain relief, essential oils can do more harm than good to your body if you use them in large quantities. Speak to your doctor about the potency of each essential oil and only then formulate a suitable dosage for treating the hemorrhoids. Unless advised, always dilute the essential oils in carrier oils like coconut oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil before applying it over the affected area.

Internal Hemorrhoids

Essential oils are a common remedy to treat external hemorrhoids. Never try to treat internal hemorrhoids by placing the essential oils inside of you unless approved by your doctor.

Surrounding Tissues

Do not apply too much of essential oils to the surrounding tissues and wash rigorously. This will damage the tissue around the hemorrhoid and increase the pain and might make you more prone to infections.

Oral Consumption

Essential oils are toxic compounds and are not monitored by the FDA. – Hence, do not ingest them orally unless advised by a medical supervisor.

What’s My Take?

Aromatherapy and alternative medicine using essential oils have cured all kinds of diseases across civilizations and continents. If you are experiencing,

Uncontrolled bleeding during bowel movements Lumps growing inside your anus Chronic constipation – Pain and swelling in the rectal cavity GI tract disturbances Skin allergies Do not try to treat them on your own.

Stop your essential oil treatment and consult your doctor at the earliest. Essential oils are the safest, abundant, and most accurate options to treat acute as well as chronic and highly sensitive conditions like hemorrhoids. When used in the right doses under medical supervision, essential oils can completely cure the most dreadful stage-IV hemorrhoids – these can only be removed surgically for relief. Undoubtedly, you need to have these essential oils (a few if not all) in your dispensary because they treat many other disorders caused due to inflammation along with the ones we’ve discussed in this article.

What shrinks hemorrhoids fast? Using ice packs, OTC hemorrhoids creams, or using pads infused with witch hazel extract may help shrink hemorrhoids quickly. Why won’t my hemorrhoids go away? A chronic case of hemorrhoids may indicate an underlying medical issue that requires immediate attention. Consult your healthcare provider. What happens if hemorrhoids go untreated? There is a chance that untreated internal hemorrhoids may lead to bleeding. External ones may result in blood clots that cause intense pain. Does touching hemorrhoids make them worse? Yes. Poking, rubbing, or frequent wiping of the affected region may aggravate symptoms and cause pain and discomfort.

Sources

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