Study Shows Ability of Aromatherapy Essential Oils to Reduce Inflammation
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For much of mankind’s history, people have used herbal treatments to reduce pain and inflammation in joints and muscles. The bark of the Willow tree has given us ‘the wonder drug’ for pain reduction, which actually occurs due to a reduction of inflammation. Now, many professional therapists lay-practitioners are turning to essential oils for inflammation reduction and pain relief. Essential oils provide a very simple means of reaping the anti-inflammatory, analgesic potential of natural medicine, as all one need do is put a few drops of essential oil into a base oil and massage in for quick, sometimes long-lasting relief.
A quick look at the current research available on pubmed.gov gives an extensive list of scientific publications confirming the anti-inflammatory action of essential oils. The oils used in today’s therapies have been carefully distilled to retain their medicinal potency. This means that they can have very complex natural chemical structures, and depending on the plant, a powerful inflammation-reducing action. Some obvious oils are distilled from plants that they themselves have long been used for this purpose — particularly Ginger and Turmeric. Carbon-dioxide distillations (a new, cold-process method of making essential oils) of both these plants have been included in patented inflammation-reducing formulas. These CO2 distillations are readily available for any practitioner to employ in their formulas.
Further validating the inflammation reducing power of essential oils, Japanese researchers have released a study in the January 10th Journal of Lipid Research confirming this effect in MANY essential oils. This confirms the therapeutic selections of several — not just any single — essential oil for reducing inflammation. The range of oils found to have anti-inflammatory activity was very broad, from thyme and clove, to rose, eucalyptus and even bergamot; many of these oils the traditional therapist would not expect to display a significant effect. Also of interest was the notable absence in the research of what are considered some of the strongest anti-inflammation essential oils, namely Lavender, Helichrysum, German Chamomile and Ginger. This of course does not deny in any way the inflammation-reducing action of these oils; instead in bolsters their potential use by noting that even oils NOT considered the foremost inflammation reducers can have dramatic effects.
The strongest inflammation-reducing activity was produced by the essential oil of Thyme, a pungent herb long used as a savory flavoring. Thyme essential oil is highly regarded for its immune system boosting and anti-viral / anti-bacterial actions. Interestingly, the study noted that all essential oils tested reduced inflammation in a manner similar to resveratrol, the long-life-enhancing component of red wine. Inflammation itself is oftentimes a symptom of a strained or challenged immune system, as well as a marker of aging. One’s ability to naturally keep inflammation under control is likely to result in fewer illnesses and a slower aging process. Along these lines, it was the single natural component Carvacrol, also found in high concentrations in Oregano essential oil, that had the strongest anti-inflammatory activity of any of the single isolated compounds from any essential oil used in the study. While carvacrol by itself is actually a dangerous chemical in that it can burn our tissues, it seems to have a multitude of beneficial actions including reducing inflammation, being a strong anti-microbial agent, and boosting immune system function.
Many people find relief from painful muscles and joints through the daily self-massage with a pre-made or home-made aromatherapy massage formula. You can find many on the market with high-grade essential oils that can help, or you may be interested in making your own custom recipe. These formulas typically contain a concentration of 2 to 5 percent essential oils in a carrier oil (like Hazelnut or Sesame). Each one percent is made by adding eight drops of an essential oil to one ounce of carrier oil. Thus, a three percent concentration would be twenty-four drops essential oil in each ounce of carrier. An excellent example of an anti-inflammatory blend would be one percent German Chamomile, two percent Helichrysum Italicum and two percent Lavender. A little research can help you find the oils that will work best for you.
Ananda Aromatherapy are the makers of therapeutic essential oils for aromatherapy. The website includes excellent resources for the beginning and advanced practitioner alike.
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