I hope you are
all having a beautiful holiday season so far. I was able to submit my BreakFree Medicine manuscript just
before the clock hit midnight on December 24th. This was an early holiday gift
for me…to have it completed before the festivities!
One thing I
was very grateful for was that my family was healthy and strong to enjoy the
celebrations. In case you’ve missed my latest webinar on the three precious
gifts of the season, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, you can find the link here. This 18-minute webinar
explains the science and immune supporting properties behind these biblical
essential oils.
This morning,
just before my guests woke up, I had a chance to check in with my computer a
bit. I found another article that piqued my interest on the wellness benefits
of essential oils during this season of potential sniffles. This study reported on the positive effect
of a combination of essential oils, which was delivered as a spray, for
symptoms of sore throat, hoarseness, and cough. Here is the abstract:
This study is a prospective randomized
double-blind controlled trial whose aim was to investigate the clinical effects
of aromatic essential oils in patients with upper respiratory tract infections.
The trial was conducted in six primary care clinics in northern Israel. A spray
containing aromatic essential oils of five plants (Eucalyptus
citriodora, Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha piperita, Origanum syriacum,
and Rosmarinus officinalis) as applied 5 times a day for 3 days
and compared with a placebo spray. The main outcome measure was patient
assessment of the change in severity of the most debilitating symptom (sore
throat, hoarseness or cough). Sixty patients participated in the study (26 in
the study group and 34 in the control group). Intention-to-treat analysis
showed that 20 minutes following the spray use, participants in the study group
reported a greater improvement in symptom severity compared to participants in
the placebo group (P = .019). There was no
difference in symptom severity between the two groups after 3 days of treatment
(P = .042). In conclusion, spray
application of five aromatic plants reported in this study brings about
significant and immediate improvement in symptoms of upper respiratory ailment.
This effect is not significant after 3 days of treatment.
(Note most
viral infections only last 7 days.)
There were a
few caveats to the study that I believe may have downplayed the full efficacy
of the essential oils. One was that the researchers didn’t specify the active constituents
or the chemotypes (secondary metabolites of a species) of the five plants. This could change their efficacy and
potency against certain microbes. Furthermore, the mixture was added to a 97%
solvent of Polysorbate 80, which at high doses has some safety
concerns! Recently, a study showed emulsifiers, such as polysorbate 80, could
disturb the microbiome of mice and alter their metabolic health! Yikes, we know
how important those belly bugs are!
I think it
would’ve been best to use pure, therapeutic essential oils and an organic
carrier oil.
References:
Ben-Arye
E, Dudai N, Eini A, Torem M, Schiff E, Rakover Y. Treatment of Upper
Respiratory Tract Infections in Primary Care: A Randomized Study Using Aromatic
Herbs. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM. 2011;2011:690346. doi:10.1155/2011/690346.
Reardon, S.
Food preservatives linked to obesity and gut disease. Nature. February 25, 2015.
Learn more about eucalyptus
and oregano here.
Disclaimer:
This
information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This
information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for
purity and standardized constituents.
There is no
quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only
to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with
fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin.
This material
is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or
prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding
implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements
have not been evaluated by the FDA.