You surely will have heard a thing or two about aromatherapy, the art of using aroma-rich essential oils to achieve mental and physical health. Aromatherapy has come a long way from its past. Nowadays, aromatherapy experts can readily boast of using their art to relief stress, treat depression and to improve mental health.

However, what is new in the field and study of aromatherapy seems to be its new found effect on diseases causing pathogens, especially viruses. Not more than twenty years back, a German scientist discovered more than a hundred different specie of a particular plant family, known as Lamiacea, to be particularly effective in attacking viral infections. This lead to a surge in the study of how well some plant extracts can help the human body fight pathogenic diseases.

With the increased research in this area, several plants’ essential oils have now been shown to be antiviral in effect, although, there are some limitations in this respect. First, studies on the application of these oils to specific viral diseases are difficult to come by, since it is not easy to infect a subject in a lab with a particular virus and then apply the oils to gauge the results. Secondly, it is relatively difficult to ascertain the exact virus type involved in a disease, making a specific application of the relevant oil more difficult.

Nevertheless, a good number of plant essential oils have been shown to exhibit anti viral properties. It is noteworthy, however, that most of these known oils vary in their effectiveness depending on the virus type. The different oils are made up of different molecular units and structures making them different in their strengths and mode of action.

The effectiveness of these oils in fighting viral infections is in part due to the ease with which they can penetrate the human body cells and tissues. Most of these plants’ oils are known to be lipophilic i.e. attracted towards fat/lipid tissues, which is perhaps why they can penetrate cell membranes with so much ease. It is even said that through the use of some aromatic oils, normal body cells tend to become resistant to viral penetration.

Several different oils can be seen to exert similar antiviral effects, due to the fact that they contain similar amounts of a particular component. Essential oils are only effective against viral strains depending on their components. The number of known oils that exhibit antiviral properties is quite extensive, but a few examples will do.

The Melissa plant, a member of the Lamiaceae plant family studied, has been shown to be particularly useful in treating the Herpes virus infection. It is said that a one time application of the Melissa oil can lead to a complete remission of the virus and that further infection can be prevented by applying the oil to the area about three to four times, when one starts getting the feelings and signs that foretell an imminent outbreak of the infection.

Also, the eucalyptus and tea tree are said to be effective in treating infections of the respiratory tract. In such cases, the essentials oils could be applied through massaging, diluted in a carrier oil or in a diffuser to achieve this desired result. Some other notable oils that are known to be efficacious in fighting viral infections include thyme, palmarosa, lavender, rosemary, clove, laurel, cinnamon bark, anise, rose, lemongrass, geranium, neroli, bergamot, clary sage, and dill. Lavender oil is particularly known to work very well in relieving stress and soothing aches in the body, besides its antiviral properties.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Aromatherapy

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Whether you use aromatherapy as a stand alone or as a complementary first aid treatment there are several aromatic oils I’d like to recommend you have in your aromatic first aid kit.

My recommendations include important details for you to consider when purchasing an oil, such as its Latin Name, Country of Origin, Method of Extraction and Part of the Plant Used. I also list the best oils to consider when creating a synergistic blend.

TEA TREE ( Melaleuca alternifolia - Organic, Steam Distilled Leaf, Australia.

Strongly assertive disinfectant Tea Tree has a fresh and spicy, medicinal and antiseptic smell.

Tea Tree has the undisputed popular reputation as a ‘cure all.’ It has powerful anti fungal, anti viral, and antibacterial properties.

Keywords: ANTISEPTIC & ANTIFUNGAL First suggestion for athlete’s foot, nail viruses, and fungal infections. Can be used topically undiluted.

Captain James Cook and his mates when arriving in Australia in the 1700’s wanted a refreshing herbal tea to drink. They chose the fragrant leaves of a tree. The tree has been called Tea Tree ever since.

Use in anti acne remedies, as well as to combat flu and other viral and bacterial infections.

French physician Paul Belaiche in 1985 studied Tree Tree’s healing abilities for Candida albicans, a vaginal yeast infection. In most cases this infection can be treated effectively without the side effects common with conventional treatments.

Research has proven it useful for another vaginal infection, trichomoniasis. In 1962 an American study of 130 women treated using it recovered from this infection.

Helpful for balancing skin conditions like acne, alone or in a blend.

Can be used topically to treat insect, spider and scorpion bites.

Tea Tree is also an immune stimulant, a decongestant and an analgesic or pain reliever.

Try a synergistic blend of Tea Tree with any of the following aromatic oils: Black Pepper, Atlas Cedarwood, Himalayan Cedarwood, Ginger, Lavender, Lemon, Myrrh, Thyme and Rosemary.

Please join me for Part IX in this series of articles to learn about the FINAL essential oil I recommend you have in your aromatic first aid kit, VETIVER ( vetiveria zizanoides )

Properly administered essential oils are a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being and can produce satisfying results where other methods have failed.

Aromatherapy is a gentle and noninvasive complementary and alternative health care system used for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind, spirit and emotions to enhance your health. Please consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.

KG has utilized essential oils in her energy medicine practice for more than 30 years. During that time she has facilitated healing for thousands of people suffering from personal trauma, illness and injury. Through her unique AromaTest

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Despite the image of Aromatherapy as lacking in scientific foundation in the United States, the use of pure, therapeutic grade essential oil for medical applications is common throughout much of Europe. The essential oil distilled from the flowers of Helichrysum Italicum is well-known for its broad range of actions, which can support healing of many common sports-related injuries. The essential oil’s compounds are known to prevent and relieve blood clotting (helpful for bruising), stimulate tissue regeneration, act as a powerful anti-oxidant, and can reduce inflammation. This combination of effects many help with injuries such as twists and sprains, bruises, tendonitis and the like. Any dedicated athlete would greatly welcome such a non-toxic, effective alternative healing remedy!

From a scientific standpoint, the alternative medicine aspects of aromatherapy deals with the interaction of a wide array of natural plant chemicals with human physiological systems. Each essential oil is many, sometimes hundreds, of individual chemical constituents. These often work in concert to provide a synergy of effects - a result that is greater than the application of each phytochemical alone. A great example is the combination of chemical compounds in Eucalyptus Radiata essential oil - it has been called an ‘aromatherapists designer oil’ because of it’s mix of anti-viral, expectorant, and anti-inflammatory components, plus a pleasing aroma, make it helpful in treating certain types of cold symptoms. Helichrysum Italicum contains a great synergy in it’s own way - it’s constituent chemicals are known to reduce inflammation, signal tissue regeneration, remove clotted blood, relax tissues and reduce pain.

Before approaching it’s possible effects of Helichrysum essential oil on sprains, strains and other sports injuries, let’s look at the root of these painful conditions. Take, for example, a an ankle twisted in a basketball game - what has happened physiologically? Connective tissues (tendons and ligaments) have been stretched beyond their normal lengths; these tissue have suffered ‘micro tears’, which is damage to the actual structure of the cells of the connective tissue. Some of these cells are so damaged that they die, and need to be re-grown. There is often additional swelling and bruising involved, which is generally the leaking of blood from damaged capillaries into intracellular space. This results in a loss of blood supply to surrounding cells, and blockage of nutrients, oxygen, and waste products moving to and from those cells. This in fact, leads to cellular damage beyond the primary injury of the connective tissue cells. More cell death occurs here, not only directly from the loss of nutrient/waste exchange for these cells, but also due to an increase in oxidative radical activity. The greater the amount of ’secondary’ injury which occurs lengthens the time to recovery - here, one can see why applying ice to an injury soon after it occurs can speed healing - it reduces the amount of blood that clots (bruises) in an area, and lowers the metabolic activity (and oxidative radical production) in cells with a loss of nutrient supply - therefore, less secondary cell damage and death accompanies the primary injury.

The synergistic effects of the compounds found in Helichrysum oil address the physiological processes involved in such injuries directly. First the anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects reduce the secondary damage (occurring in acute injuries, or, for example, just after a training bout that has made a chronic injury flare-up). The anti-oxidant properties also prevent further cellular damage from occurring. The analgesic effects are a nice addition, possibly reducing the need for oral pain-relief medications of questionable toxicity. Finally, the tissue regenerating effects help re-grow all damaged tissue, and can even help prevent scarring from cuts and open wounds.

In ‘Medical Aromatherapy’, Dr. Schnaubelt indicates that the effects of many essential oils cannot be explained completely by the actions of their individual components - many oils’ effects are greater than the sum of their parts. The synergy of the components in Helichrysum produces a particularly sensational healing result. A recent user of the oil, who had been a professional triathlete, then cyclist, then ‘casual’ marathon runner, was having chronic pain in an achilles tendon. Overuse - and perhaps a stiff clutch on an old car - lead him to believe that despite excellent fitness, he wound not be able to take part in an upcoming major marathon. The injury hurt every time he ran; he had been a proponent of alternative therapies for many years, with some success using DMSO for tendon-related inflammation. He had not found DMSO (often used on racehorses for similar injuries) to be as effective on chronic injuries as acute ones, and this achilles issue was no different - nothing was helping fast enough where he knew he could make the race. For the first time, he gave Helichrysum essential oil a try, applying undiluted (Helichrysum is very well tolerated this way) to the area twice daily. Within two days, he was running without pain, and ran a personal best at the marathon event.

In this instance, the application of Helichrysum reduced pain (and likely inflammation as well) in the area, and supported regeneration of the damaged tendon tissues. The essential oil should prove just as effective with acute injuries as well - it’s noted ability to reduce the clotting of blood, along with it’s anti-inflammatory and tissue regenerative properties give it a seemingly complete natural arsenal to speed healing in most common sport-related injuries. In fact, this could extend to a very wide variety of trauma injuries, though great care should be taken to use as an adjunct to proper allopathic medical care in such cases.

If you decide to try the oil for yourself, be sure of your source, and that the variety is correct one discussed here. The oil is appropriate for range of injuries - minor to major - though of course it is not a substitute for proper medical attention in any way. Using the oil in conduction with a prescribed therapy should be discussed with your doctor. The literature does state that the oil is very well tolerated, and can be applied directly to the skin undiluted. An application of a thin film a few times a day, as soon as chronic pain is noted, or an acute injury occurs, is best. The oil can be used on broken or damaged skin - in fact, it is included in formulas to reduce scar formation along with Rosehipseed and Hazelnut oils (a 5% dilution of Helichrysum in a 50/50 blend of these two base oils can be used to support wound healing). As with any therapy, be aware of how you’re body is responding to treatment, and consult a medical professional with any questions or concerns about it’s use. In summary, Helichrysum italicum essential oil is a gentle, topical treatment which may speed healing for many common sport-related injuries. It is regarded as a very safe oil and is worth a try if you are in need of such support.

The author is the owner of Ananda Aromatherapy, a source for pure therapeutic grade essential oils, blends, and aromatherapy products. Ananda’s vision is to offer the highest grades of products to ensure their healing properties are available to it’s customers.

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