Nausea is one of the most common symptoms of cancer treatments and can be very difficult to treat. Luckily, there are a few natural remedies that can help alleviate nausea, and simply inhaling essential oils is one of them. Essential oils are the active compounds found in plants, distilled into potent oils. These oils contain powerful properties of the botanical herbs and spices they’re derived from, making them useful in improving all sorts of symptoms, such as relaxing tense muscles, relieving pain, improving digestion, and relieving nausea. Research on the benefits of essential oils is continuing to grow each year. In one randomized controlled trial, participants who applied one drop of peppermint essential oil on the spot between their upper lip and nose, three times a day for the five days following chemotherapy administration, had significantly reduced frequency and severity of of nausea and vomiting.

Bringing all the current evidence together, here is how we suggest using essential oils to help alleviate nausea:

• Think of a “dose” of inhaled essential oil as holding the oil close to your nose and breathing normally for 5-10 minutes OR holding the oil close to the nose and taking 10 deep breaths. 


• Ideally, you would take one “dose” every 2-3 hours to see significant benefits. 


• If receiving chemotherapy, inhale 3 times per day for 5 days following treatment. 


• Rotate the type of oil you’re using every two weeks. This minimizes the possibility of developing sensitivity to any one oil. For example, if trying to relieve nausea, inhale peppermint for two weeks, then switch to inhaling ginger for the next two weeks. 


• If you don’t have peppermint essential oil, ginger and sweet orange work well too. 

Note: Essential oils are not meant to be ingested, as some can be toxic if consumed in large amounts.

Author: Dr. Nadine Kexel ND, CCNM Integrative Cancer Centre Intern