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Aromatology Its History and Uses
by Penny Price
The current uproar decrying the use of aromatic oils as medicine can only be
given credence if the one who administers such treatment is unqualified,
inexperienced and carries no valid insurance to proceed with such a practice.
For instance, all bottles carry a second warning against using essential oils in
the eye. However, a solution properly prepared by a suitably qualified
practitioner can be used despite this warning. The general public needs some
awareness of the potency of true essential oils and their potential both for
harm and for good. It is in its use or abuse that any therapy becomes helpful or
harmful.
Historically both aromatherapy and aromatology share the same indivisible root
in the development of plant medicine and modern drugs. Aromatherapy was a term
coined in the 1920s by a French chemist named Gattefosse and it was not until
this point in time that essential oil therapy was separated from mainstream
phytotherapy by name. There was certainly no problem in using essential oils
externally, internally, diluted or neat in those days. Even since that time, in
France, the practice of all methods of using essential oils carries on,
unchallenged and positively successful. In France, essential oils are
administered internally by medical doctors and phytotherapists as an extremely
effective method for treating disorders of the digestive and excretory systems,
reaching the site of the problem by direct route. Topical application (not
massage), inhalation and compresses are the most common methods of use practiced
in France.
When aromatherapy was imported to England in the mid 19th century, it was
introduced via the Beauty Therapy profession. Thus the practice of diluting
essential oils into a suitable carrier oil to use with the separate therapy,
massage, was introduced and has since become known as 'English Style
Aromatherapy' to the French.
As the first aromatherapy organization in England was made up mainly of Beauty
Therapists, the Beauty Therapy code of practice had to be followed; this does
not allow the administration of anything by mouth. This was written into the
association's code of practice and into that of every other association to
follow. In one regard, this was quite fortunate as aromatherapy products filled
the High Street. The quality and purity of some of these products is, at best,
questionable. These adulterated or synthetic products can be hazardous if
applied to the skin let alone administered internally.
At the present moment there is some debate as to the appropriate legislation to
cover the use of true essential oils. These have been present in the British
Pharmacopoeia for many years; indeed these formed the base of many early
medicines and are still used today. However, true essential oils cannot be
regulated as medicines. Because they originate from a single botanical plant and
those plants are subject to all sorts of variables (in climate, soil, amount of
sunlight, etc) it is impossible to determine in advance the GLC1 of any oil. At
the present moment the majority of true essential oils are covered by food and
cosmetic legislation. There is a case for a middle ground, not unlike the
'Statement of Efficacy' that exists in the USA, to be established which will
allow for properly grounded therapeutic claims to be made for essential oils,
whether used in aromatherapy with massage or intensively in topical application
or internally as in aromatology.
We need to attempt some definition of aromatology as distinct from aromatherapy.
The division is, of course, both false and forced. Aromatology is a type of
aromatherapy, properly understood. Because aromatherapy in England has become
massage with essential oils the whole meaning is obscured. Aromatherapy should
embrace all methods of using essential oils. Missing out internal use and
intensive use restricts the therapists to massage, compresses and home
treatment. Surely training schools must take the responsibility seriously to
ensure that all graduating aromatherapists have some knowledge regarding the
safety of internal treatments and intensive use of essential oils. At present to
train to become an aromatologist at SPICA (which is the only college at present
in England facilitating such a qualification) the candidate needs to already
hold a qualification in a recognized complementary or orthodox therapy. The
period of training is a further two years where the student explores the
individual chemical components which make up essential oils, their effects on
the physiology and pathology of the human being and the potential effects on the
psyche. Hazards such as toxicity, skin reactions, etc. are explored in depth. In
an aromatherapy course full body massage would play a major role, whereas
aromatologists learn a limited amount of specialized massage for specific local
conditions. Their training is more concerned with accurate assessment and
treatment using a more prescriptive approach.
The focus of the discussion on essential oils as used in aromatology has focused
more on the internal use than on any other. Although internal use of oils is
taught about in depth, the actual use in practice is restricted mainly to
digestive conditions. This is, of course, a generalization, which disguises the
plethora of different uses and applications in aromatology. Much more common, is
the intensive application of neat oils through the skin. This can be as little
as two or three drops or as much as 3 or 4mls depending on the situation
presented.
In one particular case, when dealing with a client with M.E., 80 drops (ie.
4mls.) of a blend of skin-friendly, immune system boosting oils were applied to
the clients back each day for a period of five days in total. The result was
significant improvement, with the client perception of their own energy levels
enhanced. The treatment was enough to start the whole healing process and the
path back to a more active and balanced life. While recognizing that there are
some who do not accept that M.E. is a valid disorder, the fact remains that the
health of the client was dramatically improved by the intensive application of
the essential oils. The effects were lasting and treatment was carried on using
normal aromatherapy dilutions in a home treatment regime.
Clinical Research
In surveying the literature that is available there are a number of case
studies, properly presented, which give testimony to the efficacy of
aromatology.
Dew et al present a study on the use of
peppermint essential oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
The overall assessment of each treatment period shows that patients felt
significantly better while taking
peppermint essential oil capsules compared with placebo (p,0.001) and
considered
peppermint essential oil better than placebo in relieving abdominal symptoms
(p,0.001). Patients taking
peppermint essential oil had a lower daily symptom score (p,0.001) but there
was no effect on the number of bowel actions per day (Dew et al, 1984: 398).
Valnet presents many case studies in his seminal work on aromatherapy, among
them:
Mrs F, aged 56, suffered from deep-seated delirious madness. She had been in
hospital for many years. She had previously had tuberculosis and had suffered
for three years from a rhino-pharyngeal infection and chronic bronchitis with
persistent fever, which resisted antibiotic treatment. Her general condition was
poor. In October 1969 she was treated with trace elements and aromatherapy, both
internally and by means of suppositories. Her temperature became normal in three
weeks. These results were consolidated by twenty days treatment each month for
six months (Valnet, 1993: 237).
Research by Zarno into the effects of Tea tree on Candidiasis produced very
encouraging results. She confirms all that is regularly assumed to be true about
the essential oil: that it is anti-septic, anti-fungal and an immuno-stimulant.
Zarno recommends 23 drops of oil on a tampon for internal application twice a
day; 6 drops in a bath and 2 drops in warm water as a gargle for oral thrush to
be used after each meal (Zano, 1994).
Research carried out by May et al, shows the efficacy and safety of capsules
containing
peppermint essential oil (90mg) and caraway oil (50mg) when studied in a
double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial in patients with non-ulcer
dyspepsia.
After four weeks of treatment intensity of pain was significantly improved for
the group of patients treated with the
peppermint/caraway combination compared to the placebo group. Before the
start of treatment all patients in the test preparation group reported moderate
to severe pain, while by the end of the study 63.2% of these patients were free
from pain. The pain symptoms had improved in a total of 89.5% of the patients in
the active treatment group (May et al, 1996: 1149).
There are many such clinical uses of essential oils that have demonstrated
efficacy, notable amongst these would be the work of Penoel. Along with
Franchomme, Penoel has been at the vanguard of much of the experimentation and
learning in the various aromatology applications. The total concept of
aromatherapy has been embraced in England (and has therefore meant the
introduction of aromatology) by Shirley Price. There were many others in the
early 1970s who introduced some aspects of aromatherapy, only Price has
continued to advocate the holistic approach to the use of essential oils.
Tisserand, in the early days, also advocated this wider use of oils (Tisserand,
1977: 319).
The Argument for Aromatherapy
In the UK for various reasons, not least among them ignorance and fear,
aromatherapy has been reduced to a fraction of its potential. It is no more than
'massage with smells' to so many people. Strong arguments have been presented by
some (e.g., Lis-Balchin, 1997) against any use in aromatology, even at times
claiming that such is illegal. These people would argue that the internal use of
oil is dangerous. In so doing they demonstrate their ignorance of the very
therapy they practice. Essential oils applied in massage are absorbed into the
body though the skin (while the carrier oil largely remains on the surface).
Once the oil has permeated the skin it is very quickly absorbed into the
bloodstream and carried round the body. Therefore, instead of taking aromatology
and segregating it as a wholly separate study and therapy it needs to be held
under the umbrella of aromatherapy for there is no sustainable argument that
separates the use in massage from any other use. It is recognized that
irresponsible use of oils internally can irritate the stomach lining. This has
to be conceded. However, irresponsible use of any drug will do the same.
Aspirin, for example, is known to exacerbate stomach ulcers, and some would
suggest that Aspirin is amongst the causes of ulcers. This is why
aromatherapists (who practice aromatology) need to be trained as thoroughly as
any medical practitioner. The argument could be presented that brain surgery is
dangerous and therefore should not be undertaken. Not all doctors would be
competent to operate on the brain. However, a surgeon properly trained is able
to carry out such procedures safely and hopefully with a positive outcome.
Similarly, some essential oils can cause severe irritation of the skin if
applied neat in large quantities but a trained therapist will have been fully
schooled in the chemistry and hazards of the different applications of the
particular oil.
While there is a general consensus on safety, there are differing views on the
potential hazards of different oils (Tisserand et al, 1995, Price, 1995) just as
there are different perspectives on the uses of the oils themselves.
In any training there are elements that will have to be assimilated for the
purposes of gaining an award. Those who have trained in aromatology may or may
not go on to use the various different ways of topical and internal applications
that they have been taught. However, the training itself will raise awareness
and give much more knowledge about the oils and their therapeutic uses than
would an 'English style' aromatherapy course.
It may be possible that the rear-guard action fought by those who want to
preserve the traditional 'English' usage is driven by a survival instinct. The
period of study for this fuller use of aromatherapy is longer and the course is
definitely more scientific. This advocacy of aromatology is not an attempt to
drive out those who could not manage the academic study but who are naturally
caring. As with every other discipline there are different thresholds which
allow fuller practice, each level having its own distinctive focus. Massage
remains a valid therapy but it is not the sum of aromatherapy. At this present
moment the politics advocated by the various camps promoting their particular
use threatens to eclipse the purpose of any therapy to benefit people. Surely
the only valid purpose in any therapy is to help people rediscover health and,
along with that, a sense of self-worth. If aromatology has some positive
contribution to make as an intrinsic part of aromatherapy to this end, then all
arguments to the contrary are invalid.
References:
Drew, M J, Evans, B K, Rhodes, J. 1984 "Peppermint Oil for the Irritable Bowel
Syndrome: A Multicentre Trial." The British Journal of Clinical Practice (1984),
394395.
Elsona, C E, Underbakke, G L, Hanson, P, Shrago, E, Wainberg, R H, Qureshi, A
A. 1989 "Impact of Lemongrass Oil, an Essential Oil, on Serum Cholesterol."
LIPDS (1989) 24(3), 677679.
Franchomme, P, Penoel, D. 1996 L'aromathιrapie exactement, Limoge: Roger
Jollois.
Lis-Balchin, M. 1997 "Essential Oils and 'aromatherapy:' their modern role in
healing." Journal of the Royal Society of Health (1997), 117(5): 324329.
May, B, Kuntz, H, Kieser, M, Kohler, S 1996 "Efficacy of a Fixed Peppermint
Oil/Caraway Oil Combination in Non-ulcer Dyspepsia." Arzneim-Forsch/Drug Res.
(1996) 46(II), 11491153.
Penoel, D. 1992a "Sinusitis and Bronchitis." The International Journal of
Aromatherapy (1992) 4(2), 2627. 1992b "Eucalyptus smithii Essential Oil and Its
in Aromatic Medicine." British Journal of Phytotherapy (1992) 2(4), 154159.
Price. L 1995 Alpha To Omega: Constituents and Properties. Hinckley: SPA.
Price, S, Price, L. 1995 Aromatherapy for Health Professionals, Edinburgh:
Churchill Livingstone.
Tisserand, R. 1977 The Art of Aromatherapy. Saffron Walden: Daniel.
Tisserand, R, Balacs, T. 1995 Essential Oil Safety: A guide for health care
professionals. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Valnet, J. 1993 The Practice of Aromatherapy, Saffron Walden: Daniel.
Zarno, V. 1994 "Candidiasis A Holistic View." The International Journal of
Aromatherapy (1994) 6(2): 2023.
1 The GLC is the fingerprint of an oil when subjected to analysis determining
its chemical constituents and their relative proportions.
2 The essential oils used in this blend were Eucaplyptus staigeriana, Aniba
roseadora and Boswelli thurifera.