Essential Oils Of Aromatherapy

By Joanne Kabak | Staff Writer

July 1, 2003

THE PRODUCT AND WHAT IT'S MARKETED FOR: The essential oils of aromatherapy are sold in small vials in health food stores, by mail order and online. Some brands carry a label that describes the recommended dosage and traditional uses. Prices for the more than 150 essential oils vary. At one online site for organic essential oils, www. acqua-vita.com, the 5-milliliter size of one of the most popular oils, lavender (Lavendula angustifolia), costs $8.23. The same size of lemon balm (Melissa officianalis), is $90. The traditional uses for lavender are as a therapy for burns or wounds and for relaxation. Lemon balm is described as having sedative and antiviral properties.

WHAT'S KNOWN: An essential oil is very different from a synthetic fragrance. An essential oil is a highly concentrated form of potent chemical compounds like terpene, phenic acid, alcohol, ketone, ester or ether. For example, terpene is a chemical used in making turpentine. Essential oils are extracted, usually by steam distillation, from the fruit, seed, flower, root, leaf or bark of a plant. Suzanne Catty, head of Acquavita and a Toronto-based authority on aromatherapy, said it takes about 150 pounds of lavender to make a pound of oil; to get the same quantity of lemon balm, you need about 2,000 pounds.

When you use an essential oil, she said, "less is more." There's a good reason behind the marketing of the oils in small sizes, mixed with carrier oils like jojoba oil, and equipped with a dropper. Usually only a few drops will do. For example, Catty said four drops of lavender in your bath could help you sleep, but 25 drops could keep you awake for hours. "Essential oils help stimulate the body's own defense mechanisms," she said. "If you're a generally healthy person, only a slight stimulation of the immune system can have a profound effect on the whole organism."

While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence and a long history of aromatherapy use dating back at least to the ancient Egyptians, there is a lack of modern large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of aromatherapy oils that attest to their safety and effectiveness. However, an increasing number of small-scale studies point to their use as a positive intervention for symptoms in a variety of ailments.

In a study at Newcastle General Hospital in England published in 2002, nurses massaged lemon balm, whose chemicals are believed to reduce agitation, onto the arms and face of 36 people with Alzheimer's disease. These patients showed a significant reduction in the excitability, restlessness and stress associated with dementia. Other studies showed similar results using lavender administered by inhalation.

As to which of the main ways of applying essential oils is preferred, through the skin or through the nose, Dr. Clive Ballard, one of the authors of the study, said in this case at least, "the method of administration may not be critical." Ballard is a professor of old age psychiatry at the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom.

In a study done in Korea and published in 2002 in Dermatology Nursing, 13 patients who were undergoing kidney dialysis were given aromatherapy massages by nurses for pruritus, an itchy, irritated skin condition associated with chronic renal failure. There was a statistically significant decrease in their scores measuring the severity, frequency and location of the pruritus. Other recent studies showed favorable results in using essential oils to treat a form of baldness, feelings of anxiety while in the hospital and nausea after surgery.

Many nurses are using aromatherapy with patients, said Deborah Thomas, a psychiatric nurse practitioner in Kentucky and author of articles on aromatherapy. When it comes to palliative care, "they just know it works, and they use it."

BOTTOM LINE: "These things smell fabulous, but it doesn't mean they aren't powerful in many other ways," said Jane Buckle, an RN and PhD. Based in Hunter upstate, Buckle teaches aromatherapy to health professionals and is the author of "Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice" (2003). There's a lot of misunderstanding about aromatherapy. "It's a shame about its name," she said. "Maybe we should call it essential-oils therapy."

Some oils should never be taken internally, and others can irritate the skin. The essential oil of cinnamon might sound innocuous, but it can eat through metal. Further, not all oils are manufactured from pure substances and may contain pesticides magnified by the highly concentrated nature of the oil.

ALTERNATIVES: The oils are being touted as an alternative to what may be ineffective traditional medical treatments. Buckle said her next project is to do National Institutes of Health-funded research at the University of Pennsylvania on the effects of essential oils on resistant pathogens. Buckle said that she plans to see how the oils of these ancient aromatic plants might be able to attack thoroughly modern problems, such as anthrax and monkeypox.

Joanne Kabak is a freelance writer.