Properties of oils

[Curtis T]

I was just wondering where people got their information from about essential oil properties. There are obviously many many books available on the subject, but there is a lot of variation (and sometimes complete contradiction) about the stated properties of each oil and what ailments it is most suited to treating. And I find that scientific studies on the oils are frustratingly thin on the ground.

So I wonder, do people have a specific book they favour and why?

Or do people take a very scientific approach, and look at the chemical content of oils and work on that (e.g. linalool has antimicrobial effect, so for a blend with antimicrobial properties choose oils with high linalool content)

Or do people work more on instinct, or, scent, or experience, or other factors?

Personally, I have found "Aromatherapy for Health Professionals" very userful as it is quite detailed about the chemical compostion and research of each oil. But I also rely on instinct, and which oils I feel complement each other. I do feel very frustrated sometimes that there just isn't the information available about properties of certain oils as the area is so under researched.

 

[ABottkiviz]

Hi Longvines

I have a few books that I go to time and time again they are The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy by Salvatore Battaglia, Medical Aromatherapy by Kurt Shnaubelt, Tisserand and Balacs Essential Oil Safety.

As for scientific studies there has been a lot of research carried out and is still being done.

See this site which lists researchers and their papers:
http://antiagingchoices.com/Aromatherapy/about_aromatherapy/research_reference_eo.htm

Aromatherapy started off with a chemist in the perfume industry in France (Gattefosse) who coined the word aromatherapy - he discovered the healing and soothing properties of lavender which led to his research and started the whole thing off he's known as the Father of Aromatherapy. Such accidents also occur in the medical world such as the discovery of penicillin.

I'll come back later but this will be an interesting thread - I know there has been some very good recent research in Japan.

Love Binah
x

 

[Almost Happy Housewife]

I also have the book Binah mentioned by Salvatore Battaglia - it is an excellent reference tool. I also subscribe to the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy was contains research papers on various essential oils etc. I like to look at various sources then I can make an informed decision about how to use the oils. I do use the internet a lot too for researching oils.