For millennia, essential oils have been used by healers in different cultures. Rigorous studies are difficult to design, but research supports some claims of benefits.
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts that contain hormones, vitamins, antiseptics, antibiotics and the volatile molecules that give many plants their characteristic fragrances. Aromatherapy, in its strictest sense, is the practice of using these oils for healing.
Aside from conferring myriad survival benefits to the herbs that house them, essential oils have been employed by humans since ancient times for their healing properties. The Egyptians used fragrances for their salutary effects on both body and mind. Ayurvedic physicians have used perfumes and aromatics for thousands of years; the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, outline the use of over seven hundred fragrances for ceremonial and therapeutic use.
In Europe, aromatherapy is practiced by medical professionals, and its precepts are taught to medical students. Investigations into the clinical uses of essential oils are ongoing in several countries, but aromatherapy is not universally acclaimed.
Controversy
In March, 2008, Newsweek published an article summarizing the results of an Ohio State University study whose authors concluded that “…(the scented products) don’t do good in the ways that they (aromatherapists) suggest they do.” The study was limited in scope, but it served to emphasize Western medicine’s skepticism about the usefulness of aromatherapy. In a paradigm where prescription drugs are the principle tools of medical practitioners, it is difficult to validate any modality that does not conform to dogma.
The Science
Regardless of aromatherapy’s position in the American medical hierarchy, a plethora of research has shown its benefits in a variety of settings. Unfortunately, while a few rigorous trials have been conducted, many studies have been poorly designed. Examples of investigations completed to date include:
Pain: One randomized study by Wilkinson showed a “statistically significant” reduction in levels of tension, anxiety and pain in a small group of cancer patients treated with massage with or without chamomile. Another study of 20 pediatric inpatients with HIV evaluated the effects of chamomile and lavender on pain and comfort levels. Though no formal statistics were provided, the authors reported a “…decrease (in) the need for analgesic drugs from acetaminophen to morphine.” In yet another trial, peppermint oil produced a significant analgesic effect when applied topically in a group of patients with headache.
Dementia: One double-blinded study conducted in the UK in 2002 showed significant reductions in aggression among demented nursing home patients when they were exposed to Melissa (lemon balm) oil.
Childbirth: In a 2000 study, Burns, et al, showed that 50% of women in labor deemed an aromatherapy intervention “helpful,” while only 14% felt it was “unhelpful.” The study was designed to evaluate the effects of several essential oils on anxiety, pain, nausea and/or vomiting, and strength of uterine contractions.
Depression: Komori (1995) demonstrated a reduction in Hamilton rating scales in depressed patients during a 4-11 week period of treatment with citrus fragrance.
Nausea: Post-operative nausea in women undergoing gynecological procedures was reduced when they were allowed to inhale peppermint oil. The test group also required fewer opioid analgesics than the control group.
Sleep induction: Lavender oil has been shown to help geriatric patients reduce their need for sedative medications.
Essential oils—and aromatherapy—are widely used for a multitude of conditions; some of those uses, at least, have credible underpinnings. Whether scientifically proven or not, aromatherapy will likely remain popular. After all, it has been around for thousands of years.
Resources
Lavabre, Marcel, Aromatherapy Workbook, Healing Arts Press, 1990
Lis-Balchin, Maria, Aromatherapy Science: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals, Pharmaceutical Press, 2006
The copyright of the article Aromatherapy: Cure-all or Placebo? in Aromatherapy is owned by Stephen Allen Christensen. Permission to republish Aromatherapy: Cure-all or Placebo? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Hi there Very Nice Article. Thank you for sharing it. Research does
continue on aromatherapy and essential oils, it's too bad that the
government does not look upon natural modalities as a great non-evasive
treatment compared to the high priced prescription drugs. I think most of
us are aware of the fact that Prescription drugs get money for funding
simply because they bring in so much money. The strange thing is that we
must pay for the research in the sense that we pay such a high price for
the prescription drugs as compared to natural techniques such as
aromatherapy.
Thank you again for the great article Sharron
Myers <a
href="http://www.aromatherapy-course.com">Serene
Aromatherapy</a>
Sep 23, 2008 8:26 AM
Maija Haavisto :
FWIW, I live in Europe (Finland) and work as a medical writer. I've never
heard of any medical school teaching aromatherapy nor of any MD using it.
Not saying it doesn't happen, but very often I read something like "In
Europe this..." and think "Huh?"
Sep 23, 2008 8:11 PM
Stephen Allen Christensen :
Maija, Not wanting to be guilty of perpetuating a misconception, I did
a quick little dance across the web. You're right about one thing: It's
difficult to find specific institutions where aromatherapy is part of the
formal curriculum. However, I do find a fair number of references to
the use of aromatherapy by European health practitioners... In
"Invitation to Holistic Health," (Jones and Bartlett Publishers,
2005) author Charlotte Eliopoulos says of aromatherapy: "This clinical
approach...has survived in France and many physicians still use essential
oils as an alternative or enhancement to antibiotics today. In France, as
in Germany, the use of plants medicinally, including aromatherapy, is seen
as an extension of orthodox medicine. Aromatherapy is seen as such an
integral part of medicine in Germany that doctors and nurses there are
tested in the use of essential oils in order to become licensed." (pg
412) At
http://bellowingbantam.blogspot.com/2008/02/aromatherapy-health-benefits-an
d-how.html I found the following: "Despite the lack of scientific
research, European physicians and aromatherapists frequently prescribe
certain oils for a variety of complaints, including sinusitis, colds and
flu, digestive problems, insomnia, migraine, and muscle aches and
pains. There is no licensing of aromatherapists in the United States,
although Great Britain and other European countries do require
it." It's also worth noting that the UK formed its Aromatherapy
Organisations Council to standardize and regulate educational programs in
aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy has a long history, and (like many
aspects of what we allopaths like to call "folk medicine") much
of its use is based on empirical evidence. It's possible that some of the
information about aromatherapy's position in a country's medical paradigm
is similarly "handed down."
Sep 14, 2009 5:21 AM
Guest :
Sorry, but I have to pick up on a few points.
- I agree with
Maija's comment below.
- "...with or without
chamomile" suggests aromatic oils are not actually necessary?
- "50% of women in labor...deeemed aromatherpay helpful" - so
the other 50% found it either unhelpful (14%) or of no significance?
Something that's 50/50 looks to me like hit and miss.
Glad to
see that you qualify this with "Whether scientifically proven or not,
aromatherapy will likely remain popular". Just because something is
popular doesn't mean it is effective. Blood-letting was once popular!
Would be useful if you referenced these studies in full.
Otherwise as long as no harm comes of this therapy and it is not used in
place of any conventional treatment, then why not indulge the customer?
Sep 14, 2009 7:02 AM
Stephen Allen Christensen :
Many drugs have made it past FDA scrutiny with little more than 50%
efficacy. And you're dead on about the use of popular treatments that
aren't effective...sort of like the indiscriminate treatment of viral
infections with antibiotics, which practice has led to the emergence of
MRSA on the formerly pristine beaches of the Pacific Northwest. To each
one's own.
Sep 15, 2008
