International Journal of Aromatherapy最新文献

Essential oil is obtained from manuka, Leptospermum scoparium and kanuka, Kunzea ericoides, which are indigenous plants to New Zealand. The oil from these plants has been commercially available to aromatherapists for more than a decade. In this time, attention has been given to the antiseptic and antimicrobial actions of the oils. Of most interest to researchers and aromatherapists is the presence of β-triketones, present in the manuka oil. These triketones are believed to significantly contribute to the antimicrobial action. More recently, it has emerged that there are significant geographical variations affecting the composition of these oils. Whilst a full understanding of the therapeutic implications is some way off, it is important for aromatherapists to appreciate that these differences exist and the oils selected may match the intended therapeutic purpose.

It is proposed that a 5% solution of essential oil of ginger, Zingiber officinale, is an effective post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) prevention when administered preoperatively, naso-cutaneously concurrently with conventional therapies to general anaesthesia patients at high risk for PONV. This is a summary of six months clinical experience and impressions of a single anaesthesia practitioner using best practice multimodal management plus 5% oil of ginger, Zingiber officinale, in the prevention of PONV in high risk group adult patients.

The results of the clinical experience show improvement gained in patient response as measured by lower incidence of nausea and vomiting in the post-anaesthesia recovery unit (PACU). The group treated with the essential oil of ginger experienced approximately less than 20% nausea in the PACU. This low percentage of high risk PONV patients that experienced nausea in the ginger group mostly required only one single intravenous supplemental medication to control nausea. Approximately, 80% of high risk patients had no complaint of PONV and therefore did not require any further intravenous therapy during recovery from anaesthesia through discharge from PACU. The non-ginger oil treated patients in this clinical experience had a roughly 50/50 chance of PONV.

A 5% solution of the essential oil of Zingiber officinale in grape seed carrier oil, when applied naso-cutaneously, can be administered safely for the effective prevention and therapeutic management of nausea in general anaesthesia patients at high risk for post-operative nausea and vomiting, with increased patient satisfaction and less expense to patients and hospital. Guidelines and regulations established for the safe use of integrative therapy with an essential oil are critical to observe.

In France, simultaneous application of Dermasport^® plus Solution Cryo^® on damaged or inflamed joints has been recommended for many years to assist with rehabilitation treatments. This protocol required validation.

Objectives

To evaluate the benefits provided by simultaneous application of Dermasport^® plus Solution Cryo^® with no other therapeutic intervention, on knee and ankle joints (injured or post-surgery) requiring rehabilitation. Evaluation was to be made with regards to pain, degree of joint mobility and measurement of joint circumference, measured between 0 min (T0) and 30 min (T30) of product application.

Methods

The study was conducted by six independent physiotherapists specialising in sports injuries. The patients, of both sexes, presented with knee pain or ankle pathology of traumatic or post-operative origin, recent or old with inflammation. All patients were treated by simultaneous application of the two products at T0, according to a method of application recommended by the manufacturers (Phytodermie).

Results

Thirty patients were included in the study; 21 men and 9 women with an average age of 32.9 ± 13.9 years, the majority of whom were sports persons (80%) and presenting with a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to 22.8 ± 2.5. Of the patients, 18 (60%) were being treated for knee pathology and the 12 others (40%) for ankle pathology.

The comparative assessment between T0 and T30 demonstrated a net reduction in pain (at rest and with active and passive movement) and joint circumference at T30 for both joints. Furthermore, there was an increase in degree of articular mobility in flexion and extension of the knee and in dorsal and plantar flexion of the ankle. Finally, the global impressions of both patients and therapists were homogenous (more than 80% for both joints) and in favour of the efficacy of the simultaneous application of these two products.

Localised skin reactions consisted of redness disappearing after application. In two cases they were associated with a temporary sensation of cold.

Conclusion

This study confirmed the positive effects of simultaneous application of Dermasport^® plus Solution Cryo^® on injured joints. After 30 min of application, we observed an analgesic effect, improved joint mobility and a reduction in oedema.

This article will explore the historical origins of British aromatherapy, discuss its evolution into the popular complementary therapy it is today and finally present a speculative discussion about its future in 21st century Britain. By necessity, I will discuss the place which many well-known aromatherapy personalities have in British aromatherapy history and at the outset, I must stress that this article is a result of my personal research and I apologise to any whom I may have omitted and inadvertently offended by such omission. In addition to the many “names” in British aromatherapy that will be discussed, I hope to bring recognition to the many individual therapists, whose contributions over the years have made aromatherapy the respected therapy it is today.

This case study examines a variety of aromatherapy treatments offered to twenty-five patients suffering from the symptom of nausea in a hospice and palliative care program, using a synergistic blend of Pimpinella anisum (aniseed), Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce (sweet fennel), Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile) and Mentha x piperita (peppermint). Outcomes were measured using the Bieri scale, a visual-numeric analogue. A majority of patients who used the aromatherapy treatments reported relief. However, all patients in this study were also using a variety of other treatments for their symptoms. While it is therefore impossible to establish a clear scientific link between the aromatherapy treatments and the nausea relief, this case study suggests that the oils used in this aromatherapy treatment were successful complements to the relief of this symptom.

The effects of ethanol, honey and milk used as dispersing agents on the adsorption of the major oil components to a rubber glove were examined in aromatic bath containing lavender, tea tree and grapefruit oils. Compared with ethanol and honey, milk caused a marked decrease in adsorption of highly hydrophobic hydrocarbons and esters such as γ-terpinene, limonene and linalyl acetate. An air bubbling bath also caused a marked decrease in adsorption of hydrocarbons and ester as compared with a circulating bath. A decrease was closely associated with short half-lives of these components in water bath. Since adsorption of the oil components to a rubber glove was shown to be parallel to that to mouse skin, the results suggested that the use of milk and an air bubbling bath should be avoided in aromatic bathing.

The chemical constituents of the essential oil of Salvia hypoleuca Benth. aerial parts collected from Iran were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The oil yield of the dried plant obtained by hydrodistillation was 0.3% (v/w). Thirty-nine compounds, accounting for 94.6% of the oil, were identified. The main classes of compounds were found to be sesquiterpenoids [sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (44.9%) and sesquiterpene alcohols (28.2%)] and monoterpene hydrocarbons (15.5%). The major constituents were bicyclogermacrene (15.3%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (14.6%), viridiflorol (13.3%), spathulenol (12.5%), δ-elemene (7.7%), β-pinene (7.2%) and α-pinene (5.9%).

Objective: The essential oil of tea tree (TTO) possesses powerful antibacterial activity, and many aromatherapists in Japan use it for preventing infection during foot massage. Thus, this study evaluated whether massage was more hygienic using vegetable base oil with added TTO as compared to vegetable base oil alone.

Design: Massage sessions were conducted using four different essential oil combinations in jojoba oil as lubricant; 3% TTO, 6% TTO, 3% lavender oil (LO) and 6% LO. Jojoba oil without any added essential oil was used as the control. Bacterial samples were taken from both the palms of the therapist and the client’s skin and surviving bacteria were counted. Also, to clarify the growth inhibition effect on bacteria, 4.80 × 10³ colony forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus were added to the five test oils used as lubricants, undiluted TTO and undiluted LO, and the reduction of bacterial survival count measured.

Results: The bacterial count on the palms of the therapist increased whilst that on the client’s skin decreased after massages of 10 min and 20 min. The bacterial count was dependent on the concentration of essential oils, however this tendency was not specific to TTO. Using undiluted TTO and LO in the bacterial growth experiments, no multiplication of the organisms was observed, but diluted TTO and LO were not as effective.

Conclusion: Undiluted TTO possessed antibacterial activity against S. aureus in vitro, but it could not be demonstrated that it was effective when added to a lubricant base oil for the purpose of hygienic massage practice.