Oh it’s times like this I miss not having all my certifications on hand, cause this romance book blogger has got enough actual certified science and licensed know how to fill a fairly substantial wall.
Just from what I have handy atm, Robert Tisserand is one of the worlds leading experts on aromatherapy, and he talks extensively about the safe (and unsafe) uses of essential oils, including medical interactions with drugs, and how the base compounds react with basic physiology and the environment.
I’ve taken the liberty of screen shotting the summary on the known effects of essential oils on the olfactory system, and highlighted parts which are relevant to you having breathing issues:
So basically even though it can help some people feel relief with correct use, if you are triggered by scents or suffer from breathing problems, the use of essential oils should be done with extreme caution. And shoving menthol directly under the nose is not even remotely in the same vicinity as using caution.
Essential oils should be used in a well ventilated space and applied to safe spots to the body, away from mucous membranes. Directly under the nose, on the skin, is not one of those safe spots, though I know plenty of people who will tell me they do it all the time and they’re just “fine”. (Nb: if you’re one of those people that’s your choice, but don’t inflict it on anyone else, especially children or people with allergies)
If it’s a diluted mixture (which those rollerball things tend to be) your chances of skin damage are reduced, but you’re still at risk from developing a sensitivity, or from personal irritation due to existing sensitivities.
Also here’s what Poison Control has to say about it:
https://www.poison.org/articles/what-happens-with-swallowing-or-inhaling-too-much-menthol–174
Some nasal inhalers contain menthol. The menthol makes us feel as though we are breathing easier, but it does not actually help with congestion. In fact, it appears that more inflammation develops.
There’s also an article in the Canadian Respiratory Journal to back this up, which breaks down how menthol works to soothe breathing difficulties with some actual science and figures if you’re interested:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628651/
RESULTS:
Nasal resistance before testing was similar on both occasions. No differences were found in respiratory frequency (mean ± SEM) (menthol 17.0±1.1 cmH2O/L/s; sham 16.9±0.9 cmH2O/L/s), minute ventilation (menthol 7.7±0.5 cmH2O/L/s; sham 7.9±0.5 cmH2O/L/s) or total inspiratory time/total breath time (menthol 0.4±0.1 cmH2O/L/s; sham 0.4±0.1 cmH2O/L/s). The upper airway resistance was similar during menthol (3.47±0.32 cmH2O/L/s) and sham (3.27±0.28 cmH2O/L/s) (P=0.33) inhalation.
CONCLUSION:
Inhalation of menthol does not alter upper airway resistance in awake human subjects.
Basically, the tl;dr version: menthol doesn’t increase your ability to breathe, it merely cools things down, providing relief from the symptoms of inflammation, while not actually increasing your airflow capacity.
So shoving menthol under your nose, isn’t going to actually help your breathing problems to resolve long term. If anything it may trigger them into being worse if you are sensitive to fragrances, or suffering from some form of inflammation which may be worsened by the use of volatile oils, which is another name for essential oils. Sounds a lot less friendly than “essential” though, doesn’t it.
Anyway, I hope these are useful to you. Good luck with avoiding the rollerball.
