Healthcare is a breeding ground for pseudoscience – and for good reason too. When it comes to our health we really are an easy target. Nobody likes to be sick and nobody wants to lose a loved one. It makes sense, then, that peddlers of pseudoscience often set their sights on the sick. There are as many alternative therapies as there are sick people, but I’d like to focus specifically on essential oils – solutions containing concentrated extracts from plants. One of the largest companies selling essential oils is doTERRA, and this quote from their website is a great example of the some of the flawed arguments you’ll hear for essential oils. I have marked the parts I wish to discuss:
“Essential oils have been used throughout recorded history for a wide variety of wellness applications.The Egyptians were some of the first people to use aromatic essential oils extensively in medical practice, beauty treatment, food preparation, and in religious ceremony. Frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh and cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along caravan trade routes and were sometimes exchanged for gold.
“Borrowing from the Egyptians, the Greeks used essential oils in their practices of therapeutic massage and aromatherapy. The Romans also used aromatic oils to promote health and personal hygiene. Influenced by the Greeks and Romans, as well as Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic use of aromatic herbs, the Persians began to refine distillation methods for extracting essential oils from aromatic plants. Essential oil extracts were used throughout the dark ages in Europe for their anti-bacterial and fragrant properties.
“In modern times, the powerful healing properties of essential oils were rediscovered in 1937 by a French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who healed a badly burnt hand with pure lavender oil. A French contemporary, Dr. Jean Valnet, used therapeutic-grade essential oils to successfully treat injured soldiers during World War II. Dr. Valnet went on to become a world leader in the development of aromatherapy practices. The modern use of essential oils has continued to grow rapidly as health scientists and medical practitioners continue to research and validate the numerous health and wellness benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils.“
I’ll describe the errors that I see with these paragraphs in order.
1. “Essential oils have been used throughout recorded history for a wide variety of wellness applications.”
The first red flag I saw when I began researching essential oils was the logical fallacy “appeal to antiquity” – claiming that something has powerful properties because some ancient civilization used it. The fact that ancient Egyptians used essential oils is irrelevant to the claim that they are clinically effective, and we can’t determine whether something is good or bad just because it has ancient origins. Treating disease by ingesting animal feces or applying it to your skin is also an ancient Egyptian remedy, in fact more common than essential oils, but I don’t see that catching on in the same way.
2. “Essential oil extracts were used throughout the dark ages in Europe for their anti-bacterial and fragrant properties.”
There is absolutely no way that essential oils were used in Europe during the dark ages for their anti-bacterial properties. The germ theory of medicine was not developed at the time, and was not used clinically until the 1870s. However, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say that essential oils were used throughout the dark ages in Europe for their anti-bacterial properties. When you think “anti-bacterial” do you really think of the dark ages as a good example? Just think, now you too can have a life expectancy of nearly thirty years!
3. “French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who healed a badly burnt hand with pure lavender oil.”
That’s right, the whole of the modern argument rests on one piece of anecdotal evidence. A french chemist burnt his hand and it was healed with pure lavender oil. It’s fine, of course, to mention an anecdote as the reason for pursuing an area of research. The most common example I can think of is Sir Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin. The story of its discovery is famous, but no one says that penicillin works because Fleming noticed that his moldy bread stopped bacterial growth. You can’t claim that lavender oil heals burnt hands because someone says it worked once. Penicillin is well understood and has plenty of research to support its antibacterial claims. Essential oils? Not so much.
4. “The modern use of essential oils has continued to grow rapidly as health scientists and medical practitioners continue to research and validate the numerous health and wellness benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils.”
This is the most telling sentence of all. Everything before this sentence is full of specific people, times, and places that support the health benefits of essential oils. The second they bring up modern research, though, they become vague and non-specific. Why not say “in recent years, researchers at Harvard have shown that…” or something like that? The reason is simple. There actually isn’t any modern research that supports the claims. Essential oils claim to be effective at treating a wide range of diseases. They supposedly have antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. This is not the case. Here are a few studies I found on PubMed:
- Adverse effects of aromatherapy: A systematic review of case reports and case series - This study found that not only are essential oils not helpful, they can be harmful. The most common issue is dermatitis. This is because most essential oils are sold as aromatherapy - a technique with a very serious misnomer. “Aromatherapy”, in many cases, is actually meant to be applied directly to your skin. Supposedly the oil absorbs into your skin. Which brings up the question: If aromatherapy has nothing to do with smell and has not been shown to be an effective therapy, why is it called aromatherapy?
- Effect of sweet orange aroma on experimental anxiety in humans - This sounds promising, right? A nice, sweet smell to calm your nerves. Should work, right? It seems to me that if essential oils can claim anything it should be that the nice smell will calm your nerves. This study shows that a nice smell actually doesn’t have any effect at all on the amount of anxiety you have.
- The effect of aromatherapy on postoperative nausea in women undergoing surgical procedures - This is another one whose title sounds promising, but the results aren’t what the title suggests. In this study, the effect of aromatherapy treatments on nausea was examined. Once again, the study shows that aromatherapy is not helpful.
- Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties - This is actually the only study I found on PubMed of an essential oil with a real effect – and it has only shown weak antimicrobial and anti-inflamatory properties in vitro. I could not find any research that showed clear antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial, or antibacterial activity in vivo.
The real problem I have with essential oils is the exaggeration of their effects. If the only claim that proponents of essential oils made was “this smells good, I think you’ll enjoy it” I wouldn’t be writing this at all. That’s not the case, though. The benefits of essential oils are exaggerated because exaggeration sells. Websites like this one make extraordinary health claims like curing colds, asthma, bronchitis, hypertension, liver congestion, heart palpitations, depression, and boosting your immune system (what does that even mean?). Other websites make fanciful claims like “restore your body’s natural energy balance” – a claim so bad it’s not even wrong.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t use essential oils. As with any pseudosciene, I’m of the opinion that you are free to waste your money on whatever you choose. I just wish those selling alternative medicine products were more honest with themselves and their customers. Trying to sell a sick person something that in the end won’t help them is at least unethical, if not criminal.
Edit: In this article I made a tongue-in-cheek comment about life-span during the middle ages. As this article explains, life-spans are averages so a large contributing factor is obviously infant mortality rate.
Also, I feel the need to emphasize that I am not saying that essential oils have no use. Instead I am saying that their effectiveness is exaggerated.
Love it nice breakdown!
Thank you!
I made plantar warts disappear from my daughter’s foot with tea tree oil. One of my friend’s child’s feet were full of plantar warts, it had become a nightmare for them, they used my method (found on the internet), it cleared both feet in a few short weeks.
This is anecdotal, maybe, but it is a good thing that I did not wait for any formal research or my child would have been submitted to painful medical procedures which most common effect is to make the problem worse (like for my friend’s child mentioned above).
The good thing with essential oils is that we have nothing to lose (except a few dollars and hope) and a lot to gain.
I understand what you mean, but the “nothing to lose” argument is pretty weak. I have nothing to lose by jumping on one foot to cure hiccups. I also don’t have anything to gain. Just because you have nothing to lose doesn’t mean it’s worth your time or money.
Tea tree oil, the one you mentioned, has been shown in vitro to have mild anti microbial benefits (and I did mention it). That doesn’t necessarily mean it will have the same effect in vivo. It may have some effect, but I would not say we have “a lot to gain”. I would be surprised if a future study shows any of the currently used essential oils to have a major clinical effect.
This is not the microbial benefits we are talking about here, but the anti-fungal that you said was not proven…
By the way, which powerful medical lab is going to study tea tree oil really? There is no money to make there… And dermatologists are happy that people keep their psoriasis and plantar warts, they would not have afforded their Porsche otherwise… but that’s another story…
It seems that you’re willing to admit that it’s just an anecdote, but not really willing to admit that it’s just an anecdote. I didn’t just say tea tree oil has no antifungal effect, I showed the research.
Firstly, Carole, if you are going to mention “anti-fungal” effects, then perhaps you should be looking into what causes plantar warts first. Plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) as are all other warts. It is a virus, not a fungus. It also seems to be possible to get rid of warts by simply irritating the area so the immune system can take over (there seems to be various methods of doing this) so how do you know the tea tree oil was the cure and not mild irritation? Maybe the warts just went away, as they sometimes tend to do. Just because you rubbed tea tree oil on them and they went away doesn’t mean that is actually what cured the condition.
Secondly, Mr. Jones did link to a study mentioning Tea Tree oil that is published on the NIH website. So there’s your “powerful medical lab”. There is obviously money to be made there, because people like you will purchase it. Believe me, no dermatologist is worried that they are going to run out of patients any time soon. If they wanted to keep people perpetually sick they would prescribe them these “natural” remedies that are either unproven or dis-proven and overcharge for them. Even if it did work, the process would still be the same. Diagnose > prescribe > results or reexamination > money.
Carole:
You should keep in mind that many synthetic drugs are developed from naturally occurring chemicals. You can see this in penicillin: originally from a natural mold, its active chemical has been developed into various different antibiotics that can target specific infections (amoxicillin, meticillin, oxacillin, and dozens of others). It’s not inconceivable that properties out tea tree oil could be discovered and enhanced in a similar fashion.
There are likely R&D labs currently trying to find new reasons and ways to sell you tea tree oil. If tea tree oil is shown to have any useful clinical effects, you can be certain that there will be a long line of people and institutions interested in capitalizing on it. (The first in line will no doubt be those labs that are already in the business of purifying and manufacturing tea tree oil for the glut of soaps, serums, and other products currently being sold that include tea tree oil.)
I imagine a dermatologist wouldn’t stay in business very long if they couldn’t achieve any results.
The big point here is the brain..very often the belief will work, because the brain accepts the concept. If you did NOT believe it would work..it would not. My grandfather ‘cured’ my Mom’s warts by rubbing a cut potato on the wart, and burying it in the garden at full moon. Should not work you think? It did. A belief system in my grandfathers forbears.and one that has never failed to relieve warts.
I don’t understand. Are you saying the potato cured your mother’s warts or that her belief did? Beliefs can’t kill bacteria or viruses any more than they can build skyscrapers. Some sort of physical action is required.
“Essential oils” is also a term I’ve heard used in the foodie scene–oil-based infusions do have a lot of flavoring potential. Truffle oil is, I understand, very overrated, but you can make simple pepper oil at home, and it’s very useful stuff. Of course, those peppery, fat-soluble flavoring compounds are also alcohol-soluble… but mum’s Svedka tastes enough like turpentine anyway.
Ya, essential oils are really just concentrated solutions of plant extract. For cooking it will make a difference to the smell and flavor, I’m sure, but you’ll still see crazy health benefit claims, like this one – “Being concentrated, the essential oils contain virtually all of the plants healing nutrients”. (quote from here: http://www.aroma-essence.com/cooking.html)
Later on that same website warns against microwaving your food, and that’s debunked easily enough. (They say ” 2 seconds of microwave energy destroys all enzymes in the food and alters the frequency of the food.”)
As a chemist, I can tell you that microwaves are not energetic enough to break bonds and that talking about the frequency of your food makes not sense…
I use tea tree oil shampoo, but not because of its magical properties. I just like the way it makes my scalp feel.
Like James Watson said, “Blueberries best be eaten because they taste good, not because their consumption will lead to less cancer.”
This same quote applies to a wide variety of quakery, especially essential oils.
Quakery??? your knowledge about the ability of the brain and the belief system is appalling..I feel sorry for you in your lackluster, colourless world. Read something please about the ability of the brain.
I’m not sure what connection you’re making between my comment and the ability of the brain…
I am able to eat hot food much more frequently because of my microwave. Perhaps ‘that’ is what they meant?
That’s funny. When I read that article on Tea Tree (melaleuca alternifolia) oil, it seems to list several clinical trials with benefits, such as for a 25% solution to treat tinea pedis (which I use it for myself). I thought it was the alt-med proponents that misrepresented scientific studies?
Well, actually reading the article on tea tree oil’s “clinical efficacy” section shows that there is a trial showing effective treatment of dandruff, though the trial numbers may be small. There is some evidence, but it’s not great, yet.
Chad, referring to http://www.whatstheharm.net and reading your concluding sentence “I’m of the opinion that you are free to waste your money on whatever you choose.”, I recognize you are a big proponent of suicide and you must be a supporter of the Darwin awards
Anesth Analg. 2012 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Aromatherapy as Treatment for Postoperative Nausea: A Randomized Trial.
Hunt R, Dienemann J, Norton HJ, Hartley W, Hudgens A, Stern T, Divine G.
Source
From the *Department of Anesthesia, Carolinas Medical Center University, Charlotte, NC;
Abstract
Background:Postoperative nausea (PON) is a common complication of anesthesia and surgery. Antiemetic medication for higher-risk patients may reduce but does not reliably prevent PON. We examined aromatherapy as a treatment for patients experiencing PON after ambulatory surgery. Our primary hypothesis was that in comparison with inhaling a placebo, PON will be reduced significantly by aromatherapy with (1) essential oil of ginger, (2) a blend of essential oils of ginger, spearmint, peppermint, and cardamom, or (3) isopropyl alcohol. Our secondary hypothesis was that the effectiveness of aromatherapy will depend upon the agent used.Methods:A randomized trial of aromatherapy with patients who reported nausea in the postanesthesia care unit was conducted at one ambulatory surgical center. Eligibility criteria were adult, able to give consent, and no history of coagulation problems or allergy to the aromatherapy agents. Before surgery, demographic and risk factors were collected. Patients with a nausea level of 1 to 3 on a verbal descriptive scale (0-3) received a gauze pad saturated with a randomly chosen aromatherapy agent and were told to inhale deeply 3 times; nausea (0-3) was then measured again in 5 minutes. Prophylactic and postnausea antiemetics were given as ordered by physicians or as requested by the patient.Results:A total of 1151 subjects were screened for inclusion; 303 subjects reporting nausea were enrolled (26.3%), and 301 meeting protocol were analyzed (26.2%). The change in nausea level was significant for the blend (P < 0.001) and ginger (P = 0.002) versus saline but not for alcohol (P < 0.76). The number of antiemetic medications requested after aromatherapy was also significantly reduced with ginger or blend aromatherapy versus saline (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion:The hypothesis that aromatherapy would be effective as a treatment for PON was supported. On the basis of our results, future research further evaluating aromatherapy is warranted. Aromatherapy is promising as an inexpensive, noninvasive treatment for PON that can be administered and controlled by patients as needed.
James, you fail to address the fact that the descriptive scale they used is likely to overexaggerate any effects of the alleged treatment. I mean, would you be satisfied if your nausea went from a 3 to a 2…could you even reliably state whether that scale accurately described your experience. In most medical literature, most analogue scales are rated between 0-10 to account for this. Very poor study.
I’m sure I read a couple of years back about one study that did show a positive effect for scent, but it was a very simple one, on perception/tolerance of pain, not a therapeutic one. One of those hold-your-hands-in-icy-water tests.. Pleasant smells – I think sweet ones? – enabled people to tolerate the icy water for longer than unpleasant ones or no smell. Cannot find it now searching, but it got picked up in New Scientist. It sounded pretty much the same as giving your child a sweet when they have a vaccination: simply a pleasant distraction, but an effective one – as long as you just sniff the stuff rather than rubbing something like neat cinnamon oil on your skin. (Of course, that would also provide distraction, of a different type, from the original pain.)
Thank you for giving me some info to help me fight the battle that gets everybody pissed off at me in “Whole Foods” and other ” health food stores” where people hate me, get angry at me …etc. when all I’m doing is help them not to waste their money. Jeff
Just one example of a study demonstrating the anti-fungal effects of several essential oils:
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2006/fpl_2006_yang001.pdf
That’s a study about soaking wood in oils. It’s a bit like treating wood with a varnish. Your body doesn’t work that way. All of the molds they’re trying to combat are strains that afflict vegetable material, not people. Two of the molds they’re treating the wood for are themselves anti-fungal, so maybe you can use that in aromatherapy. As I skimmed the report, the results seem to indicate that you can combat those molds by getting the oil hot enough to vaporize it so that it penetrates deep into the lumber. And you may have to keep up this action: the most effective fungicide was vaporized dill weed oil, which the authors say probably prevented new fungus growth by suffocation.
Just one example of research demostrating the antifungal/antimicrobial properties of several essential oils:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8893526
There are plenty more.
Right, and I did mention that in vitro studies have been done. It’s not always true that in vitro effectiveness translates to in vivo effectiveness. I’m not saying that essential oils are useless, or that I would never use them if it were clinically indicated, I’m saying that their effects are greatly exaggerated by the alternative medicine crowd.
There are numerous studies demonstrating the antimicrobial properties of essential oils. Here is one example that I picked out of the 10,400 results returned from a simple .gov Google search.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8893526
Tea tree is a poor example of an effective antimicrobial oil. However, it is frequently used for this purpose because it can be applied topically without being diluted in a carrier oil.
Granted, this is a study of molds afflicting vegetable matter which is very different from molds afflicting humans. The argument that the results are skewed because some of the molds themselves are anti-fungal would merit consideration if anti-fungal activity was observed consistently in each trial, not just the trials where the oils were shown to be effective. The results do not specify if the samples were exposed to the spores individually or separately.
I do not read anywhere that the oils were heated to the point of vaporization. The dip treated samples were immersed in room temperature oil for 15 seconds and the vapor treated samples were “held at room temperature overnight in a glass Petri dish test apparatus with a small glass dish (4 cm diameter) containing 3 ml of an individual test oil placed beside the specimens.” I fail to locate the reference to the fungal growth being prevented by suffocation. However I do see a reference that suggests ketone volatilization likely plays a role in the prevention of spore germination by this oil.
We recently started using some essential oils for various health related issues in our own home. My daughter suffers from severe anxiety panic disorder, and she has trouble sleeping. My other daughter, also has trouble sleeping. We put two drops of lavender essential oil on them at night, and it has helped them to sleep better. Our daughter with anxiety says that just smelling it helps her to calm down.
Now, having given that anecdotal information, whether it is their own mental idea that the oil will help, or the actual oil helping them sleep, makes absolutely no difference to me. At least they sleep better, and are not having to ingest something that could end up being recalled in five years because it causes liver failure or some other Godawful condition. I should also tell you that before using the oil on them, I asked them to try it to see if it would help. I did not promise them it would help nor did I give them a lengthy lecture or discuss it at length with them. I just offered to try it and it has helped.
I have used a blend of cinnamon oil with clove, lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary on myself for colds. The time I take to get over my colds seems to have shortened since I started applying them for these purposes. I have also noticed that when I apply lavender to the sides of my nose, my congestion during a cold lessens. Again, whether it is mental or the oils actually work, I am glad I don’t need to take as much Sudaephedrine, and Benedryl for these issues. Camphor and eucalyptus seem to really help my sinuses as well.
Another oil that has worked for us, believe it or not, is Frankincense. It seems to help with acne. I don’t know if it will work for everybody, because everyone has different amounts of oils on/in their skin and their body chemistry is probably not exactly the same as ours, but it has helped us. My daughter has pretty bad acne and it is clearing hers up with regular use in the evenings. I have heard there are other oils that will help too, but have not tried any others for that.
I think in today’s world, we have to really research things ourselves before we can make a decision as to whether or not it is “fake”, or “phony”. I think that oils might work for some people, and maybe not for others. Not all medicines in the pharmaceutical industry work for everything. Some medicines work for some bacterias, and some work for others. The Sudaphed you have to sign for at the pharmacy works far better for me than the stuff I can just grab and pay for, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for other people. I do wonder, however, what the long term effects of it will be on my body. Hopefully, they won’t be too detrimental. I haven’t taken the time to look it up. Maybe I will.
Long story short, don’t take anyone’s word for anything. Check stuff out so you know for yourself whether or not it will work for you, and if someone is really being honest, they will site the sources. Even then, when studies use people, there are too many variables that could possibly effect the outcomes. I think, unless a study has the people participating, eating and drinking the same foods, doing the same daily activities, in a controlled environment, and yes, even sleeping in exactly the same types of environments, how can they be sure outside sources are not “interfering with”, or “contaminating” the subjects, thus altering the outcomes of the studies? I mean, whose to say someone who eats “healthy”, versus someone who eats “unhealthy” wouldn’t have differing outcomes with any study? Just a thought.
The argument that medicine is not generalizable is compelling. After all, we’re all individuals, right? You mention that a study should involve everyone doing the exact same thing (eating, sleeping habits, work, stress) to truly account for all the variables, but that’s not true. You’re talking about systematic error – the fluctuations that will always be present no matter how well you design a study. That’s one reason for controlled trials, since the systematic error will also be present in the control. You don’t need every person to live the same life or have all the same situations to be able to account for all the variables.
Also, I think it’s interesting that anecdotal evidence is never compelling until it’s your own anecdote. I don’t say this to mock your comment, it’s an honest commentary on how compelling it is for you because you experienced it for yourself – even though you admit that it is only anecdotal.
It seems, after reading all the comments, that discussing aromatherapy products/essential oils is pretty much like discussing religion or politics. If anyone disagrees with one person’s opinion/experience, it is like a personal assault on their souls. Chad made some very valid points in HIS blog, and those visiting it feel wounded because he may disagree with their personal beliefs. I am unsure whether the oils have any legitimate benefits; still doing research. However, the claims made by folks selling the stuff is, at the least, exaggerated, and the most, diagnosing and prescribing without a license. And, as always, the “but it’s natural!” is my biggest irritant … so is poop, doesn’t mean I’m going to rub it on my skin, vaporize and inhale it, or put it in a pill and swallow it. I went to a gathering of women raving about a particular brand of oils. When I asked questions on the validity of some of the claims, or how some piece of equipment shooting electrical current through my body could tell me all that was wrong with me without any bloodwork or other valid testing, I was met with such hostility. I should just believe what I was being told because of the numerous tests that have been done but when asked for specific testing information, none could be given to me. So, while some of these oils may have validity, I am not sure I will ever find out, just because of the experience I had with a group of people who still thought science and trials, was some sort of hocus-pocus.
My husband is a long-time supporter of Skeptoid, so when my friends started on the doTerra bandwagon I wanted to find out more about all of these claims. It is unnerving to see so many people abandoning medicines for these oils. They are applying them topically, diffusing them, and ingesting them. I am confused by their jargon and the frequent connections to “Asian” practices of balancing energies, treating the “whole” body and looking towards herbs and the like to CURE them of ailments and major diseases. My problem are the claims of cure and I agree that the claims are exaggerated. I can see valid uses and possible benefits, but curing disease is something all together different.
I am not a scientist. I would like to use these oils if in fact they do have real benefits, but how do I know what is right and what isn’t when I am researching? So much is presented as fact it makes it so difficult to distinguish right from wrong.
It seems to me that the best way to answer this argument would be for a major Pharmaceutical company to do trials and testing on essential oils. Anyone truly seeking for real answers would want to see this happen. Every time I have tried to look up large studies on essential oils, I always find a very similar phrase “little research has been done”. A skeptoid, or anyone else, should ask….why? Why has not more research been done?
I believe it is because the Drug companies could never get a return on their investment. They want to develope drugs they can patent. They want to be able to charge double the price in the U.S. vs. Canada or Europe to recoupe their R & D. The big Pay Day happengs when they find a drug they can patent that you must take – every day – for the rest of your life!! Since essential oils are not even regulated by the FDA, IF and I say IF they were proven beneficial, they could actually move customers away from some prescription medications to essential oils. Essential oils can be grown and distilled on any farm….so how would this research benefit the Drug companies? It would not.
So we are left… to our personal trials…. and anecdotes… and stories from friends and family… and those we trust…. because the medical community largely reports to stockholders… not patients.
What if I told you a certain essential oil had been proven, in a large, reputable clinical trial, to reduce depression by 50% in 80% of patients? What if I then told you that when selling this oil, you would not have to list a paragraph of potential nasty side-effects that sound way worse than the initial condition? Would you want to try it??? What would happen to the stock value of the companies selling “Oh Welbutrin” (as I call it)
Have you ever had someone you care about who was completely unhelped – or even harmed by the medical community or the advice of the A.M.A.? Have you ever seen that person finally helped by an essential oil? Something you thought you would never try but were desperate and out of options but then found it to be amazingly helpful?
Finally, I believe that only a narrow-minded person writes an article like this without, at least, trying some of the oils themselves. By-the-way, there are many grades of oils: aromatherapy grade may only be for smell, therapeutic grad may -or may not- need to be diluted with carrier oil like olive oil, and pure distilled oils, without chemical additives may be ingestible. Because there is limited regulation, it is difficult to know what you get. But, the next time you get a headache, put some high grade peppermint on the area. The next time your Mother has a Hot Flash, put some peppermint on her ankles. The next time you get a wart, put some oregano on them. Hopefully you will get two warts and you can put compound W on one and Oregano on the other. I can’t afford a full blown clinical study. And no one else seems willing to do one. But that does not mean it doesn’t work. Some things are true whether you believe them or not. But to attack what others believe without strong data backing either side- and you must admit even the studies you have cited are weak- does not help any of us. And to draw the conclusion that it is a waste of money from the limited research done is to close a door that some day you may wish you had left open – even if only a small crack.
The testing you’re asking for has not been done probably because there are no pilot studies suggesting efficacy. There aren’t really any cogent hypotheses to test.
The suggestion that drug companies only sell drugs they can patent is incredibly wrong to anyone taking even the most basic look at a pharmacy. Aspirin, for example. Every single product that’s available OTC has an expired patent. Many that are not yet OTC are available in generic form. They’re all extremely profitable.
If there was some kind of miracle cure-all treatment available, as you suggest, that required no R&D, then they could bring it to market with a fraction of the investment. You think they wouldn’t jump all over this?
Limited research on essential oils?
Trendy, Pick an essential oil, look at the amount of research done on it.
This is called a “I just made that up” fallacy
I am not sure I should even waste my time in response to someone whose name means “generous algae with a whiplike organelle” and also cannot spell “Magnanimous” but what I said was not a fallacy and not made up. There is a lot of research out there-over 13, 000 studies.That was part of my point to Brian who claimed there probably weren’t any. But can you find one done by a major drug company? I can’t. Pick your favorite Medical Institution or journal. My favorite is the Mayo Clinic. Search for research on essential oils and see if it doesn’t say that little research has been done or that more testing is needed
Brian, you are not paying close attention to my comment. I am not so ignorant as to believe Aspirin is under patent and most meds do not have expired patents etc.etc. I tried to clearly state that drug companies would not get a return on their investment of R&D because essential oils are natural and readily available. Also, essential oils are not regulated by the FDA and so prescribing them as a medicinal cure becomes very problematic. If a drug company cleared all these hurdles, they would clear the path for all others to sell the product without sharing in the cost of getting it to Market.
And as for “pilot studies” or “cogent hypotheses”…..seriously?? Brian Google Lavender essential oil and anxiety, abrasions, clinical trials, and see what comes up. So please check stuff out before you start out saying “there probably aren’t”
Thanx for the initial comments, I hope you take them on board for future interactions and avoid an argument initiated by an attempt at diminution. Possibly another avoidance technique that may constitute an argumentative fallacy.. My current Skeptoid tags have been far more successful in getting people to think. Thanx for the immediate reward on dinoflagellates. May “magnanimity” appears to have worked past step one.
So without further ado;
a) you did not respond to Brian in your initial post thus I cant comment on what is being thought.
You are correct that drug companies would not get a monstrous return on anything that is non patentable, You are missing the point that all traditionally sourced compounds that are produced by plants are clearly scientifically evaluated and each compound may or may not be a source for patentable raw materials.
But, drug companies are chemical companies with a regulatory coat. You may find that drug companies where you live may also produce chemicals for resale in the alternative or supplements market. The term Big Pharma should be retired as Big Chemicals always held sway and, frankly, its a far bigger and easier target.
I amased that you could only find such a miserly 13000 papers in your search in personally evaluating essential oils, their compounds and their derivatives . Maybe its a keyword issue.
b) You state therapeutic R&D as some sort of immediacy. .The base properties, (of the raw essential oils), and traditional uses, over many millennia, are very well known by traditional practitioners and perfumers, cooks and herbalists and overarching science., We could infer that the pharmacopoeia, the herbals, cookbooks, perfumers grimoires and science listed to date (whilst not exhausted by a long shot) is exhaustive with respect to the properties required by alternative modalities and traditional uses.
c) The article goes to alternative modalities exaggeration the effects of their use by self diagnosers (hypochondiacs) and their support base, alternative modalties,, can in fact be harmful.
Yes, I think its about time that essential oils are sold with an MSDS so the hypochondriacs at least know.their next claims to glory.or be promoted to the solid ranks of Munchhausen diagnostics for friends and family.
Please reinvigorate your search skills by reviewing your search terms and how to establish what precisely you are looking for.