Re vitex oil-which methods

[Guest guest]

Chris,

 

I am concerned about all methods of use even inhalation. However, I

would qualify that by saying I doubt if short term 2-3 days of the

odd sniff is going to cause harm. The danger is so many people thing

they should use these products day in day out and that is fraught

with danger. I have never seen anyone who sells this oil giving any

kind a guidance on how not to use it. Anything that affects the

hormone system should be a cause for concern as you can end up

causing more harm than good long term.

Martin

 

, " Christine Ziegler "

<chrisziggy@e...> wrote:

> A quick question Martin,

>

> Which method of use of this oil is it that you don't like? Do you

feel

> that just sniffing this oil is potentially dangerous? Or is it the

skin

> application that is potentially dangerous? Or is it the idea of

> ingestion of it that bothers you most? Or all of the above?

>

> Thanks for the clarification!

>

> *Smile*

> Chris (list mom)

>

> http://www.alittleolfactory.com

>

>

>

>

> aromamedical2003 [aromamedical-2@l...]

> Sunday, January 18, 2004 8:35 AM

>

> Re vitex oil

>

>

> Chuck Woodfield said:

> >From my personal study and known safety record (see below), Vitex

is

> >safer than anything you can get from the drugstore or on

> >prescription written by your competent healthcare provider.

>

> I would just like to point out that this statement is not correct.

> No one has got a clue on the safety of vitex essential oil. It is

> only the herb and the alcohol extract that have been studied.

>

> Why use an oil on which there is no sound safety data or sound

> therapeutics when the herbal extract has been used effectively for

> hundreds of years? However, herbalists know that even the

unrefined

> herb is not without its side effects; a highly concentrated

essential

> oil may have adverse effects that we do not yet understand. The

use

> of this oil internally is playing with fire over the long term

> reproductive health of pre-menopausal women. Even sniffing the

oil -

> although less of a hazard - could cause problems if used long

term.

> Applying it to the skin in fixed oils nothing will be absorbed,

> although in a cream possibly some may be.

>

> This is one of those oils that I eluded to in previous mails. Tiny

> snippets of uncoordinated and uncorroborated information are seized

> on by oil suppliers in order to create a demand for an oil.

>

> At a later date I will do a review of all the claims made for this

> oil and particularly on the so called " trials " which actually

amount

> to zilch. See below for an independent review of the published

> papers.

>

> Lastly, no properly qualified herbalist would ever use a single

herb

> such as vitex to treat menopausal problems. The aim is to balance

> the body and that can only be done by a combination of herbs aimed

at

> the individual. Using any single herb is just a substitute for

> conventional drugs, i.e. take this drug and it will cure this

> illness - the magic bullet approach. The way vitex oil is being

> promoted is the opposite to what true traditional healing is about.

>

> Martin Watt

> Medical Herbalist.

> http://www.aromamedical.com

> --------------------------

>

> Re the vitex anthology as reported by Barbara Chopin Lucks

> Review by Maria Liz Balchin

>

> The main problems are:

>

> " No double-blind controlled study, no randomization, everybody knew

> what they were using and everybody could swop from one oil to the

> other. Apart from that all participants had a positive attitude. "

> Almost directly quoted from the article.

>

> Consequently, the only real outcome was placebo.

>

> However, the placebo effect is a very potent factor, even in

> conventional medicine where it can account for up to 90% of the

> effect. Nothing wrong with that, therefore, except that this

clinical

> trial didn't measure what it set out to do because of this effect.

>

> The effect of a placebo on hormonal changes in the body can be

> immense. This effect was evident in some of the remarks made in the

> article.

>

> It would be nice to see the composition of the oils, also who

> analysed them.

>

> Other problems with the survey include:

>

> The different ages of women

>

> Different stages of menopause, if any

>

> The participation of a child of 11 with her mother (legality?)

>

> Are the oils toxicologically tested? very doubtful...

>

> What conventional/non-conventional drugs were taken by each woman v

> the result obtained, as generalisations are not very relevant

> otherwise

>

> How exactly was the oil taken in each case: including frequency of

> use and dosage (this was vaguely given as licked off palm or smelt;

> was it taken any other way?)

>

> As one third of women stopped the drug during the study and were

> therefore very unhappy with it or badly affected, what medical

follow-

> up was undertaken to determine the toxicity effects?

>

> Conclusion:

> This is a useless study of the placebo effect of two extracts of

> Vitex on women who were already strong believers of Essential oil

> efficacy.

>

>

>

>

>