Probiotics Cut Infants' Digestive Woes by Sarah Wickline, MedPage Today

How to Naturally Soothe Baby Colic by Wellness Mama (Katie Wells)

Best Diaper Changing Technique for Newborns to Reduce Colic by Doc Edwards

Valerie Worwood, author of The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy suggestst this blend for "severe" colic:
1 drop Coriander Seed
1 TB (15mL) carrier oil
In gentle, circular motions, apply to baby's tummy, the middle portion of the back and soles of feet.

Purchon/Cantele, authors of Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness suggest these oils:
Chamomile (Roman is preferred, but German is suitable, page 47)
Ginger
Lavender
Mandarin
Gently apply appropirately diluted to abdomen in a clock-wise motion.

Kurt Schnaubelt, author of Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils, wrote: "Diet changes are fundamental in resolving infant colic. However, a simple essential oil application can relieve the gas and cramping until these changes are able to take effect.
He suggests the following formula:
3 drops Lavender
3 drops Cardamom
3 drops Fennel
3 drops Ginger
2 drops Peppermint
2 drops German Chamomile
1 ounce Jojoba oil (carrier oil)
Apply as needed over the abdomen, low back and bottoms of the feet. If concerned about the baby getting the oil on hands and in the eyes, it should still be effective when applied just to the back and feet.

Testimonies
1. We successfully used Peppermint. At first I was concerned about it being too strong for the baby, so I put a drop of Peppermint on my hands and held them on the baby's tummy.  It did not take long before I was using a little massage oil with a drop of Peppermint and rubbing directly on his tummy. The relief was almost instant. Our baby would either burp or release gas. His body would relax, and he would sleep peacefully. [HEO's Safety Comment: Peppermint may cause breathing issues if used undiluted on or near the face of an infant or young child.]

2. Linda's Comment: Tummy Soothe is great for colic, diarrhea, constipation, stomach virus, food poisoning and so on. Consider what is causing the colic. My experience, and also the experience of those who follow my nursing suggestions below, is that many times colic comes on as a result of not letting the previous feeding fully digest before putting in fresh milk. The older, almost digested milk then has to sit around while the new, fresh supply is digested. This eventually causes the older milk to ferment, and in my opinion, colic. Once the mom lets the baby fully digest the first batch (sometimes waiting 3 hours between feedings) then the colic disappears. Essential oil application is not going to stop the fermentation, but it will help ease the pain of the gas that is caused by it.

Here's the scenario:
1. Mom nurses baby at 9
2. Baby begins to fuss about 11 so mom thinks she should nurse again, thinking, "He must be hungry." But the reality is that the 9 o'clock feeding is just about digested, and her baby needs to wait another hour till his tummy is empty.
3. Mom nurses baby at 11, so this puts fresh milk in with almost digested milk. The almost digested milk must now hang around in the tummy until the 11 o'clock nursing is digested, and it begins to ferment.
4. The fermented milk causes gas, and baby cries because he's so uncomfortable. Mommy thinks baby must be hungry and nurses again.
5. This adds more fresh milk to almost digested milk and fermented milk. The fermented milk causes all the milk to go bad and creates more gas and more crying, and mommy thinks he's hungry and needs to nurse again.
6. This cycle goes on and on until mommy realizes that she must make her miserable baby wait at least 3 hours between feedings, and then baby is relieved and the colic disappears.

Horses with Colic
1. I mix 2 TB of vegetable oil to 3-8 drops of Digestion Support and 2-6 drops of Peppermint oil and put on the front frogs. This works very quickly for me – I’ve seen results in less than 5 minutes.

2. Our elderly Arabian Gelding began having bouts of colic fairly often, especially during colder weather. We’d call the vet and baby him through it, but nothing we tried really helped us prevent the problem. When I was introduced to essential oils I decided to try them on the horse. At the first sign of a colic symptom, I give him 10 drops Digestion Support internally and also mix a few drops with a massage oil and rub externally on his belly. He is noticeably better within 15 minutes. Sometimes a second dose is necessary, but that is not often. Many horses will take the Digestion Support directly in the mouth, but some require a little coaxing. We use a small syringe and mix the essential oil with a little molasses. We squirt it on the back of his tongue.

3. For colic in our horse we put 20 drops Digestion Support under his lip and 6 drops each of Peppermint and Digestion Support on the frog of the front feet. I also mix some Digestion Support with massage oil and rub on his stomach to help relax his muscles.

Reference
Purchon, Nerys; Cantele, Lora, Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness, 2014, 47, 166.
Schnaubelt, Kurt, The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils, 2111, page 149.
Worwood, Valerie Ann, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, New World Library, 2016, page 147.