28
THERAPEUTICS
Robert Dale Rogers is a
professional member of AHG.
He teaches herbal studies at
Grant MacEwan University
and the Northern Star
College of Mystical Studies in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Robert is an assistant clinical
professor in family medicine
at the University of Alberta,
chair of the medicinal
mushroom committee of the
North American Mycological
Association and serves on
the editorial board of The
International Journal of
Medicinal Mushrooms. He
has authored 14 books on
bioregional plants and fungi.
His latest book, Scents of
Wonder – Oils and Waters,
published in March of
2015, discusses hundreds of
unusual essential oils and
hydrosols.
J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild
Medical Aromatherapy:
Unique Oils and Hydrosols
in Clinical Practice
Robert Rogers, RH (AHG)
I
became an herbalist in 1972.
And yet, for nearly two decades,
with the exception of eucalyptus
and peppermint oils, I was
unaware of the health benefits
of essential oils. It wasn’t until
I attended the first American
Aromatherapy Conference in Napa Valley in
the late 1980s that I became most intrigued
and fascinated with their healing powers.
It is not commonly known that there are
nearly 10,000 medical doctors in France who
completed a three-year training to specialize
in aromatic medicine. There are entire wings
of hospitals in that country that specialize in
essential oil and hydrosol therapeutics. French
aromatherapy pioneer and expert Daniel Pénoël,
MD, co-authored a medical aromatherapy
text in 1990 that is to this day a remarkable
contribution to the field (Franchomme & Pénoël
1990). A year after this work was published,
I invited him and his wife Rose-Marie to give
a four-day aromatic workshop in Edmonton.
I began to use some of the techniques and
preparations I learned from Dr. Pénoël.
Thymus vulgaris for
Chlamydia trachomatis
One protocol he taught was the use of
Thymus vulgaris chemotype thuyanol for the
treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis, a Gram-
negative bacterium. This condition can affect
both men and women, with an estimated
1 million Americans infected. Cervicitis is
asymptomatic in nearly 70% of women, and
half of these will develop pelvic inflammatory
disease. It can linger for months and may not
be completely eradicated by antibiotics.
In 18 years of clinical practice, I saw
over 40 cases of chronic chlamydia infection,
particularly in those who took antibiotics such
as the beta-lactams, which seem to induce a
chronic growth state of the bacteria, where they
stop cell division and increase in size. Given
the opportunity, the cells will return to their
normal state and begin to divide once more.
The protocol is three-pronged, and involves
oral ingestion, as well as vaginal and rectal
suppositories for a two-week period. When taken
orally, the oil must be blended in a non-petroleum
emulsifier to ensure a homogenous mixture.
These products can be purchased commercially
but are extremely expensive. I have found that
mixing 96% (192 proof ) alcohol with liquid
lecithin until dissolved creates a good substitute.
The client ingests five drops of essential oil with
equal amounts of emulsifier in water three
times daily. Note: Ingesting oils must be
approached with care. Essential oils are quickly
recognized and acted upon by Phase I liver
detoxification. Cytochrome P450 enzymes are
found in the liver, intestinal mucosa and in smaller
amounts in bronchial tissue, kidneys, and skin.
Ingested essential oils are processed by the liver
before traveling to lungs. When treating lung
conditions, use inhalation or suppositories.)
J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild
A 10% suppository is inserted once daily
in the vagina and rectum. This administration
positions the essential oil closer to the source
of infection. Oils inserted in this manner are
absorbed by abdominal veins and bypass
the liver. The success rate was over 96%.
Aromatograms; Santalum
album for vaginal infection
Another technique I learned from Dr. Pénoël
was the use of aromatograms. These are
basically agar culture plates on which the
infectious material is brushed and cultured
for 48 hours. This unknown pathogen may be
gathered from anywhere in the body. Then
a single drop of essential oil is placed in four
quadrants on the growing culture. Twenty-
four hours will show the zone of inhibition of
the un-named bacterium, virus or fungus.
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THERAPEUTICS
I had one case that illustrates the benefit of
such an approach. A young woman, 28, married
for six years came to me with an unresolved
chronic vaginal infection. She had been treated
with various anti-fungals and antibiotics for
years, with no relief. It was affecting her sex life
and marriage, and she was very despondent.
We cultured four plates, with the
opportunity to test 16 essential oils for efficacy.
I did the first 15 drops and had one spot left. For
some reason, Santalum album (sandalwood)
came to mind, so I applied one drop.
Twenty-four hours later, the zone
The author’s aromatherapy
of inhibition around this endangered students of Northern Star
essential oil was by far the largest, twice College in Edmonton gather
the inhibition of thyme and oregano oils. around a portable distillation
unit used to steam-distill
We prepared sandalwood suppositories
plant species native to the
(10%) for insertion daily for six days and Canadian province of Alberta.
then one day off with a mild decocted and Photo by Robert Rogers.
30
THERAPEUTICS J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild
cooled Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal)
root douche. She came in three weeks later
with the biggest smile. After one week, her
long-standing issue had been resolved.
Clinical Experience and Studies
on Oils and Hydrosols Distilled
from Native Canadian Plants
As I became more intrigued with essential
oils and hydrosols, I became chair of the
Alberta Natural Health Agricultural Network.
A group of individuals, a college and the
government kicked in money to build a portable
distillation unit. This was moved around the
province and members steam-distilled about
70 native plant species in the first summer.
These were then sent to Leseve in Quebec
for analysis with some surprising results.
Acorus americanus rhizome yielded an
amazing oil that was wonderfully aromatic
and spasmolytic. While our native Acorus is
beta asarone-free, calamus root (A. calamus)
essential oil from India contains up to 80% of
this tetragenic, and carcinogenic compound.
Rhododendron groenlandicum (labrador
tea, formerly Ledum groenlandicum) leaf and
flower yield essential oil that relieves nausea
and vomiting during chemotherapy, induces
cellular apoptosis and reduces elevated levels
of transaminase and gamma-GT enzymes.
That is, the essential oil reverses degenerative
processes in the liver and restores the integrity of
cell membranes. Viral loads of hepatitis B and C
have been considerably reduced in work by Dr.
Giraud Robert (Schnaubelt 2011). I have used
5% rectal suppositories for prostate infection
and enlargement (BPH) with great success in
clinical practice (Szott-Rogers 2014). The flowers
only, harvested at their peak, sun-infused in a
good carrier oil at 1:5 weight to volume, yields
an oil that smells like fresh raspberries.
Chamerion angustifolium (fireweed,
formerly Epilobium angustifolium) aerial parts
in flower yielded no essential oil, but produced
a hydrosol with amazing ability to reduce
inflamed skin conditions, including sunburn,
dry eczema, acne, and rosacea (Rogers 2014).
We also found that Popula tremula (aspen
poplar) twigs, even harvested in winter, yield an
amazing, balsamic, chamomile-like essential
oil. Analysis found the (+)-alpha bisabolol is a
stereoisomer with a different configuration than
Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile).
The latter is 4S, 8S and 68.4°, while poplar
bud and twig oil is 4R, 8R and 51-54°. In
clinical work, I combined the two oils and
found increased anti-inflammatory activity at
lower doses, suggesting a synergistic effect.
No essential oils were found in steam-
distilled Hierchloe odorata (sweetgrass),
but the hydrosol was very authentic to the
scent of the fresh plant. First Nations healers
working in hospital settings were unable to
smudge with sweetgrass, as the smoke set
off fire alarms, but misting the room with
sweetgrass hydrosol solved the problem.
Essential Oils and Hydrosols
in Treatment of Urinary Tract
Infection, Scleroderma, Plantar
Warts and Cervical Dysplasia
I once treated a 64-year-old paraplegic male
confined to a wheelchair during the day.
He suffered chronic bladder infections four
times a year, due in part to his daily posture.
He used a moisturized ventilator to assist in
breathing. I recommended 1 tablespoon of
Eucalyptus globulus hydrosol be added to each
four litres of water in his ventilator apparatus.
A year later, his family reported back to me
that he suffered no recurrence of infections.
Scleroderma is a difficult to treat, chronic
auto-immune condition, characterized
by hardening of the skin and internal
organs. One 74-year-old woman with this
debilitating condition showed remarkable
benefit from the following protocol:
Centella asiatica (gotu kola) tincture was
given at dosage of 20 drops three times daily
after meals. This was combined with daily
massage, performed by her daughter, of 5%
gotu kola essential oil in sesame seed carrier oil.
The effect over three months was astounding,
with renewed flexibility of hands and significant
improvement of swallowing difficulties.
Thuja occidentalis (eastern cedar) essential
oil helped many cases of plantar warts. A drop
or two at most is applied directly on the affected
J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild
area. In order to ensure that the surrounding
tissue is not damaged, Un-petroleum Jelly,
comfrey gel or other viscous ointment encircles
the applied drops of oil. Thuja is one ingredient
in the well-known and widely used Vag Pac
for cervical dysplasia. A tampon, saturated
for one inch with a combination of equal parts
calendula and carrot root oils as a carrier for
5% Thuja essential oil, inserted to the cervical
mouth, is a very effective solution to this all too
common issue, especially stages 1 through 3.
Protocol is for six days, one day off with mild
goldenseal douche and repeat for three weeks.
Contraindications and quality
control challenges
Of course, there are a lot of contraindications
with essential oils, particularly during
pregnancy and breastfeeding. A number of
oils stimulate the uterus, and some ketone
rich oils cross the blood-brain barrier. Some
essential oils are contraindicated in cases of
asthma, epilepsy and for use in young children.
Eucalyptus smithii may be safely substituted
for commonly used E. globulus in children.
Nepeta cataria (catnip) can be used instead of
Mentha piperita (peppermint) for youngsters.
The quality of essential oils is variable. For
example, France exports the largest amount
of lavender oil in the world, in fact eight times
what they produce. How is this possible?
Lavendula x intermedia (lavandin) is a
hybrid between L. angustifolia/L. officinalis
(true lavender) and L. spica (spike lavender).
Lavandin is the knee-high plant often seen
in pictures from the south of France, where it
is gathered in large diameter round bales for
steam distillation. This particular hybrid is more
camphorous than the sweet, fruity true lavender,
and is often lacking the levels of linalool and
linalyl acetate (40/42) found in true lavender.
Companies will buy true lavender from small
producers in Croatia, for example, to make the
product more acceptable and ship off to brokers
around the world. What this means is that
consumers are not purchasing true lavender,
shown in human studies to reduce sympathetic
nervous system activity and to stimulate the
parasympathetic system (Buchbauer et al 1991).
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THERAPEUTICS
Adulteration can also take another form.
It is easy for biochemists to extract linalool and
other compounds from “tall oil,” a by-product
of the pulp and paper industry. This is generally
produced from conifers, mainly spruce and pine
species. This linalool is then added to lavandin
to “top up” its sweetness. Energetically, not
biochemically, the combination of lavandin
with components from stimulating plants
such as pine is fraudulent and deceptive.
Citrus peel oils are cold-pressed, and any
pesticide residue on orange, lemon, grapefruit,
tangerine, mandarin, and lime peels will find
their way into the oil. Use only certified organic
essential oils from the Rutaceae family.
Sandalwood oil mentioned above
is becoming increasingly expensive and
difficult to access. This situation will only
worsen, as it takes 35 years to produce a
mature tree for its heartwood and oils.
The adulteration of many essential oils can
be determined by the oily residue they leave on
blotting paper. Consumer attention is required;
ask your purveyors of essential oils about origin,
and for genuine and authentic guarantees.
RefeRences
Buchbauer G, Dietrich H, Karamat E, Jirovetz L et al
1991, Aromatherapy evidence for sedative effects
of the essential oil of lavender after inhalation.
Journal of Biosciences 46: 1067-72.
Franchomme P & Pénoël D 1990, L’aromathérapie
exactement. Roger Jolois Editeur.
Rogers R 2014, Fireweed: A treasured medicine of the boreal
forest. Discovery Phytomedicine 2014; 1:10-15
Schnaubelt K 2011, The Healing Intelligence of Essential
Oils. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont.
Szott-Rogers, L 2014, Scents of Wonder. Aromatic Solutions
for Health, Beauty and Pleasure. Prairie Deva Press.
OTHeR ResOURces
Buckle, Jane. 2003. Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice.
Second Edition. Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier Science.
Catty, Susan. 2001. Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy.
Healing Arts Press. Rochester, Vermont.
Price S & Price L. 2002. Aromatherapy for Health Professionals.
Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier Science.
Rhind, JP. 2012. Essential Oils: A Handbook for
Aromatherapy Practice. Second Edition.
Singing Dragon. London & Philadelphia.