How to Support the Thyroid with Essential Oils

Do you often feel fatigued, run down, and just plain worn out? Are your hands and feet colder than usual? Are you gaining weight that refuses to come off? Is your skin dry and is your hair brittle? If you answered yes to these questions then your thyroid may need a little TLC.

The thyroid is a small gland situated in the front of the throat just below the Adam’s apple and above the collarbone. Its main function is to regulate the rate at which the body converts oxygen and food into energy for our cells; aka our metabolism.

The most common symptoms associated with hypothyroidism are:

• Cold hands and feet
• Constipation
• Depression
• Difficulty losing weight
• Dry hair and skin
• Easily fatigued
• Edema
• Heavy menstrual periods
• Hormone imbalance
• Lack of initiative
• Mental sluggishness
• Numbness or tingling in the hands
• Often very sleepy even after getting enough sleep

The most common symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism are:

• Bone loss
• Can’t work under pressure
• Diarrhea and weight loss
• Difficulty gaining weight despite large appetite
• Emotional
• Fast pulse at rest
• Flush easily
• Insomnia
• Intolerance to high temperatures
• Nervousness
• Premature greying of hair
• Tremors
• Vitiligo

These all sound terrible, but don’t despair! Essential oils (along with healthy diet/lifestyle changes) can help naturally support your thyroid and bring it back to balance.

Speaking of diet, some key nutrients to consider (UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A PHYSICIAN) are:

• Glandulars– hypo
• Iodine (TUL 1100 mcg per day)- hypo and hyper
• Lithium– hyper
• Selenium (TUL 400 mcg per day)- hypo

Taking these supplements according to your type of thyroid issue will greatly help get hormone levels back to normal.

Now, on to the oils!

How to Support the Thyroid with Essential Oils

The thyroid is affected by the adrenals, the hypothalamus, and the liver. Bringing these systems into balance is often the key to regulating the thyroid. However, there are a few essential oils that are especially effective for hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism that you can use in conjunction with the adrenal, hypothalamus, and liver blends I discuss further below.

So, without further ado, here are the best essential oils for thyroid health and regulation:

Essential Oils for Hypothyroidism

• Clove
• Ledum
• Myrrh– both hypo and hyper
• Myrtle– both hypo and hyper
• Peppermint
• Spearmint

Essential Oils for Hyperthyroidism

• Blue tansy
• Endoflex- a blend of spearmint, sage, geranium, myrtle, german chamomile, and nutmeg– both hypo and hyper
• German chamomile
• Lemongrass– both hypo and hyper
• Spruce
• Wintergreen

You can place 1-2 drops of any of these oils (diluted with 1/4 tsp of carrier oil) directly over the thyroid for great results.

A wonderful blend to use no matter what thyroid issue you have is myrrh, myrtle, and frankincense right over the thyroid in a roll-on blend. Mix 15 drops of each oil in 44 drops of carrier oil.

How to Balance the Adrenals with Essential Oils

The adrenals are small triangular-shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys that help regulate the body’s response to stress. They do this by releasing key hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol that help regulate energy production and storage, immunity, heart rate, blood sugar, muscle tone, and other processes that allow the body to respond quickly to stressful situations.

Imbalanced blood sugar is one of the key culprits to look into when dealing with low thyroid. Blood sugar fluctuations cause the adrenals to release stress hormones which then signal the liver to begin breaking down fats and proteins. Amino acids are then released throughout the body that inhibits and suppress the thyroid. Muscles begin to release large amounts of hormones as they are catabolized that also impair thyroid function.

It’s imperative that we keep our adrenals in tip-top shape since their health and resilience determine our tolerance to stressful situations. Keeping our blood sugar levels from sharply fluctuating will also help prevent the adrenals from releasing the negative cascade that impacts healthy thyroid function.

If you’ve read my article on how to make an adrenal support roll-on blend then you know that there are many different essential oils that are capable of bringing balance to these important glands. Be sure to check it out to see which oils are best for adrenal health.

How to Balance the Hypothalamus with Essential Oils

This one is a little science-y, so bear with me!

The hypothalamus is a pearl-sized part of the brain that sits just above the brainstem. It serves as the control center for hormonal messages sent to and from the thyroid. When the hypothalamus detects low levels of thyroid hormone in the blood it releases TRH (Thyroid Releasing Hormone). TRH stimulates the pituitary gland to release TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). The increased levels of TSH in the blood stimulate the thyroid to secrete more thyroid hormones (aka T3 and T4 hormones) which return the level of thyroid hormone in the blood back to normal. Did that make sense? I hope so!

Anyways, this whole process occurs because of the feedback loop is known as the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid axis. The ability for the hypothalamus to receive clear messages relies heavily on this process. Chronic stress impairs its ability to send and receive signals to the thyroid which can throw everything out of balance.

The Best Essential Oils for the Hypothalamus

The oils below are great when blended together to create a powerful synergistic roll-on recipe that eases stress and balances the hypothalamus. If you must choose only one oil, go with frankincense.

1. Frankincense– by far one of the best essential oils for the hypothalamus. Frankincense is rich in sesquiterpenes which allow it to enter through the blood-brain barrier. This increases oxygen around the pineal and pituitary glands
2. Mandarin– this is a great oil to use when trying to manage stress and nervous tension
3. Patchouli– helps with nervous exhaustion and insomnia
4. Pine– relieves fatigue and eases stress
5. Ylang Ylang– calming and relaxing. A powerful antidepressant

To make a roll-on simply add 3 drops each of frankincense, mandarin, patchouli, and pine with 1 drop of ylang ylang to an empty roll-on bottle. Next add your favorite carrier oil like jojoba, fractionated coconut, or sweet almond to the shoulder of the bottle.

Apply a very small swipe of this blend over your third eye (a half inch above and between the eyebrows) for best results. You can also inhale deeply 3-4 times from the bottle for similar results.

Don’t want to make your own? Get the Hypothalamus Blend here for easy use.

How to Balance the Liver with Essential Oils

Our liver plays an important role when it comes to developing and metabolizing thyroxine and triiodothyronine (aka thyroid hormones T4 and T3) as well as their systemic effects on the endocrine system. One of the key’s to hormone balance in the body is the liver’s ability to detoxify excess thyroid hormones. That means that any impairment of the liver compromises the function of the thyroid.

To help counteract imbalance you can apply a simple liver support blend over the liver (right side below the breast) twice a day. This not only keeps the liver working optimally but also keeps your thyroid happy.

I really love these oils:

• German chamomile– great for detoxing the blood and liver. Dispels anger stuck in the liver
• A blend of fennel, geranium, rosemary, roman chamomile, blue tansy, and helichrysum

Be sure to check out my article on how to detox with essential oils. There’s a whole section on detoxing the liver in there for you 🙂

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