Group, here's some research on essential oils. Enjoy!

[Guest guest]

Q: Is there any research documenting the properties of therapeutic oils?

 

Much of the cutting-edge research on essential oils is done in Europe,

particularly France, so we have little available in English. An excellent book

" What To Do When Antibiotics Don't Work! " How to stay healthy and alive when

infections strike. by Dirk Van Giles.

 

A. Oils, such as peppermint, have been reviewed for their ability to block pain,

reduce headache, and block indigestion (Dvorshak et al., 1995). Melaleuca oil

has been used to treat acne (Bassett et al., 1990). And lavender oil has been

examined for its role in inducing relaxation, (Hirsch, 1991), counteracting

travel sickness (Bradshaw et al., 1998), reducing blood cholesterol, and

protecting blood vessels (Siurin et al., 1997; Nikolaevskii et al, 1990).

 

Coriander and dill oil have been studied for their effects on diabetes in animal

studies (Farag et al., 1984). In an article entitled, " Anticarcinogenic Effects

of the Essential Oils from Cumin, Poppy and Basil " , some essential oils were

also researched for their effect on tumor growth (Aruna et al., 1996).

 

Q: Is it true that essential oils can kill different kinds of fungi, bacteria,

and viruses?

 

A. Extensive studies have discussed the antibacterial, anti fungal, and

antimicrobial properties of many essential oils. Research published by the

university of Georgia, Weber State University, the Journal of the American

Pharmaceutical Association, and numerous other journals have documented the

ability of essential oils to kill many strains of fungi, viruses, and gram

negative and positive bacteria. Some of these include Staphylicoccus pneumoniae

(responsible for lung and throat infections), Herpes simplex, Salmonella,

typhosas, and Pseudomonas aeroginosa.

 

An interesting study compared a standard medical treatment of acne,

benzolperoxide, a topical antibiotic, with tea tree essential oil. Both

treatments worked equally well, although the chemical treatment had more

side-effects of skin scaling and pruritis, dryness, redness, stinging and

burning than the tea tree oil. The essential oil took more time to work, but

the lack of adverse side-effects was thought to make up for its slow onset ( " A

comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzolperoxide in the treatment of

acne, " Medical Journal of Australia, Vol. 153, 15 Oct. 19980, 455-458

 

In a Russian study on humans, doctors tried essential oils of peppermint, lemon,

sage and lavender on patients with chronic bronchitis, residing in a health

resort. They found that inhaling the oils speeded up conventional treatments

offered in the resort, as well as demonstrating anti-inflammatory responses

(Shubina LP, Siurin SA, Savchenko VM, " Inhalations of essential oisl inthe

combined treatment of patients with chronic bronchitis, Vrath Delo 1990

May;(5):66-7)

 

Research in the 1970's had demonstrated that the essential oils of thyme,

oregano, turmeric, savory, romemary and sage, all containing thymol, were

effective against Cl. botulinum (source of botulism) and staphylococcus aureus

(staph infections), as well as other organisms. This is particularly important

because in hospitals, certain strains of staph have become so virulent, from

overuse of antibiotics, that there is only one antibiotic left that will kill

them. When the staph germs become resistant to that, they say, there will be

nothing that can work. However, essential oils do not create such a resistance;

they remain effective. In other words, bacteria and viruses do not adapt or

create resistance to essential oils; they simply die, and the body's immune

system is enhanced rather than depleted. Thymol, as contained in the oils we

just mentioned and others as well, also inhibits the growth of and toxin

production of various molds.

 

Jasper C. Maruzzella and Nicholas A. Sicurella (Journal of the American

Pharmaceutical Association, Vol, 49, No. 11, pp. 692-694) investigated 133

essential oils to see if they killed bacteria. They point out that as early as

1887, essential oils were proven to be effective against anthrax! Over the

years, various researchers have looked into the anti-bacterial action of

essential oils. Maruzzella and Sicurella tested the oils against Staph aurens,

B. subtilius, S fecalis, and E.coli. They pointed out that the Gram-postivie

bacteria was more susceptible to essential oils than Gram-negative bacteria.

They provided an extensive chart demonstrating the effectiveness of the various

oils.

 

Here is research reference documenting the therapeutic properties of essential

oils.

 

Al-Awadi FM, et al. " Studies on the activity of individual plants of an

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Aqel MB. " Relaxant effect of the volatile oil of Rosmarinus officinalis on

tracheal smooth muscle. " J Ethnopharmacol. 1991;33(1-2):57-62.

 

Aruna, K. and V.M. Sivaramakrishnan. " Anticarcinogenic Effects of the Essential

Oils from Cumin, Poppy and Basil. " Food Chem Toxicol. 1992;30(11):953-56.

 

Azizan A, et al. " Mutagenicity and antimutagenicity testing of six chemicals

associated with the pungent properties of specific spices as revealed by the

Ames Salmonella/microsomal assay. " Arch Environ Contam Toxicol.

1995;28(2):248-58.

 

Bassett IB, et al. " A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoylperoxide

in the treatment of acne. " Med J Aust. 1990;153(8):455-8.

 

Benencia F, et al. " Antiviral activity of sandalwood oil against herpes simplex

viruses-1 and -2. " Phytomedicine. 1999;6(2):119-23

 

Bernardis LL, et al. " The lateral hypothalamic area revisited: ingestive

behavior. " Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 20(2):189-287 (1996).

Bilgrami KS, et al. " Inhibition of aflatoxin production & growth of Aspergillus

flavus by eugenol & onion & garlic extracts. " Indian J Med Res. 1992;96:171-5.

 

Bradshaw RH, et al. " Effects of lavender straw on stress and travel sickness in

pigs. " J Altern Complement Med. 1998;4(3):271-5.

Brodal A., " Neurological Anatomy in Relation to Clinical Medicine " . New York:

Oxford University Press, 1981.

 

Buchbauer G, et al. " Aromatherapy: evidence for sedative effects of the

essential oil of lavender after inhalation. " Z Naturforsch [C].

1991;46(11-12):1067-72.

 

Carson CF, et al. " Antimicrobial activity of the major components of the

essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia. " J Appl Bacteriol. 1995;78(3):264-9.

 

Compendium of Olfactory Research. Edited by Avery N. Gilbert. Dubuque, IA:

Kendall Hunt Publishing, 1995.

 

Concha JM, et al. 1998 William J. Stickel Bronze Award. " Antifungal activity of

Melaleuca alternifolia (tea-tree) oil against various pathogenic organisms. " J

Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 1998;88(10): 489-92

Cornwell S, et al. " Lavender oil and perineal repair. " Mod Midwife

1995;5(3):31-3.

 

Delaveau P, et al. " Neuro-depressive properties of essential oil of lavender. " C

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Diego MA, et al. " Aromatherapy positively affects mood, EEG patterns of

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Dwivedi C, et al. " Chemopreventive effects of sandalwood oil on skin papillomas

in mice. " Eur J Cancer Prev. 1997;6(4):399-401.

 

Elson CE, et al. " Impact of lemongrass oil, an essential oil, on serum

cholesterol. " Lipids. 1989;24(8):677-9.

 

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Gattefosse, René-Maurice. Gattefosse's Aromatherapy. Saffron Walden, UK: C.W.

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Gobel H, et al. " Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on

neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters. "

Cephalalgia. 1994; 14(3):228-34.

 

Guillemain J, et al. " Neurodepressive effects of the essential oil of Lavandula

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Gumbel D., " Principles of Holistic Therapy with Herbal Essences " , Haug

International, Brussels, Belgium (1993)

 

Hammer KA, et al. " In vitro susceptibilities of lactobacilli and organisms

associated with bacterial vaginosis to Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil. "

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Hammer KA, et al. " Susceptibility of transient and commensal skin flora to the

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1996;24(3):186-9.

 

Hasan HA, et al. " Inhibitory effect of spice oils on lipase and mycotoxin

production. " Zentralbl Mikrobiol. 1993;148(8):543-8.

 

Hausen BM, et al. " Comparative studies of the sensitizing capacity of drugs used

in herpes simplex. " Derm Beruf Umwelt. 1986;34(6):163-70.

 

Hay IC, et al. " Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for

alopecia areata. " Arch Dermatol. 1998; 134(11):1349-52.

 

Hirsch, Alan. " Inhalation of 2 acetylpyridine for weight reduction. " Chemical

Senses 18:570 (1993). Hirsch, Alan. A Scentsational Guide to Weight Loss.

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Inouye S, et al. " Antisporulating and respiration-inhibitory effects of

essential oils on filamentous fungi. " Mycoses. 1998;41(9-10):403-10.

 

Jayashree T, et al. " Antiaflatoxigenic activity of eugenol is due to inhibition

of lipid peroxidation. " Lett Appl Microbiol. 1999; 28(3):179-83.

 

Juergens UR, et al. " The anti-inflammatory activity of L-menthol compared to

mint oil in human monocytes in vitro: a novel perspective for its therapeutic

use in inflammatory diseases. " Eur J Med Res. 1998; 3(12):539-45.

 

Kim HM, et al. " Lavender oil inhibits immediate-type allergic reaction in mice

and rats. " J Pharm Pharmacol. 1999;51(2):221-6.

 

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Kulieva ZT, " Analgesic, hypotensive and cardiotonic action of the essential oil

of the thyme growing in Azerbaijan. " Vestn Akad Med Nauk SSSR. 1980;(9):61-3.

 

Lachowicz KJ, et al. " The synergistic preservative effects of the essential oils

of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) against acid-tolerant food microflora. "

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Lantry LE, et al. " Chemopreventive effect of perillyl alcohol on

4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3- pyridyl)-1-butanone induced tumorigenesis in

(C3H/HeJ X A/J)F1 mouse lung. " J Cell Biochem Suppl. 1997;27:20-5.

 

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Lis-Balchin, M., et al. " Comparative antibacterial effects of novel Pelargonium

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lemongrass tea. " J Ethnopharmacol. 1991;34(1):43-8.

 

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compounds isolated from Rosa damascena. " Biochem Biophys Res Commun.

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essential oils of Artemisia afra, Pteronia incana and Rosmarinus officinalis on

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