Aromatherapy

Special Precautions of Aromatherapy

There has been an upsurge in the incidence of various forms of cancer, and the carcinogenesis (the stimulation of growth of cancerous cells) effect of various substances are continuously looked at to try and identify any carcinogenic substances and so help people from steering away from them.

• Potentially Carcinogenic oils : There are some essential oils that are carcinogenic and have already been banned from use in aromatherapy as well as for internal usage. The oils in question are calamus oil (contains asorone), and all oils that contain high amounts of safrole like sassafras oil which is also found in yellow and brown camphor. Other compounds found in essential oils that may be carcinogenic is methyl chavicol (Estragole), which is found in basil oil, fennel, anise and lemon grass. This statement does not make basil a dangerous oil, but care should be taken to select the basil oil with the highest linalool content and lowest methyl chavicol content. It must however be pointed out that studies showed these oils as carcinogenic when applied daily in high concentration over a period of months.
• Using essential oils when you have cancer : If you have cancer there are some points to keep in mind when using essential oils and aromatherapy:Keep massage light, and avoid deep massage over muscles as well as near the lymph glands.Do not massage areas that have been irradiated.Do not massage areas that have skin cancers.Various writers on health, cancer and medical conditions have compiled lists of oils which should not be used when you have cancer.
• Essential oils to avoid when you have cancer: Aniseed, Basil, Bay, Clove, Cinnamon, Fennel, Ho leaf, Laurel, Nutmeg, Star anise, camphor.
• Essential oils to avoid when you have estrogen (oestrogen) dependant cancers: Aniseed, Citronella, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Lemongrass, Star anise, Verbena
• Essential oils to avoid when you have skin cancers and melanomas: Bergamot And all sun sensitizing oils.
• Pregnant women and children should consult their primary health care providers prior to using essential oils.
• do not store near homeopathy remedies, do not use with homeopathy or flower essence protocols, check with a qualified practitioner if you have any serious and acute health challenges.

The benefits of Aromatherapy are

Alphabetical List of Aromatherapy
Alphabetical List of Essential Oils

Aromatherapy for Cancer treatment

• Frankincense Essential Oil Targets Cancer Cells : A study in the journal BioMed Central journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2009, titled: "Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity" concludes with: "Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment." ...while a bit technical, this is very, very promising -- essentially saying that this easily obtained, inexpensive, NON-TOXIC natural compound can eradicate cancer cells without harming normal, healthy cells in the same organ. Frankincense has a long, long history of medicinal use, and searching for 'frankincense cancer' produces 30 results just for this material. If choosing an essential oil of Frankincense, the 'carteri' species has been the subject of most research, with cold-process Carbon Dioxide distilled oils considered the most therapeutic (seek CO2 or SCO2 distilled oils or extracts, as offered by Ananda here).
• Lemongrass Essential Oil Induces Cancer Cell Death : Lemongrass, after Frankincense, may next most commonly researched essential oil for anti-cancer activity. In the May 2009 journal of Chemico-Biological Interactions, researchers tested Lemongrass essential oil against 12 human cancer cell lines. Colon cancer and neuron cancer cell lines were found most susceptible to the essential oil. The study concluded: "Our results indicate that the oil has a promising anticancer activity and causes loss in tumor cell viability by activating the apoptotic process as identified by electron microscopy." This indicates that Lemongrass may induce natural cell death of cancer cells (apoptotic process), a process that is inherently dysfunctional in cancer cells.
• Sweet Linalool for Liver Cancer: Linalool is a very common essential oil constituent. Essential oils are naturally made up of many individual chemical constituents, and linalool is a sweet, relaxing aromatic found in many floral and sweeter spice essential oils. Linalool itself, separated from the essential oil of Coriander (Cilantro seeds) was the subject of research published in the June 2009 issue of the journal of Chemico-Biological interactions. Linalool was found to completely eradicate the HepG2 liver cancer cell line in VERY low concentrations. Linalool has a great many other effects, having been shown to lower anxiety and even significantly improve sleep. And now it even has anti-cancer effects! So even if one is noted directly targeting cancer, but using aromatherapy in a more 'casual' application, there may be important protective effects occurring at the same time.Skin cancer is a major concern for many folks, and a series of studies have shown Sandalwood to be effective at preventing tumor development. Alpha-santalol, a component also shown to have anti-anxiety and sleep enhancing action, may be the constituent to which most of these effects may be attributed. This is fortunate, as Sandalwood from India is becoming more rare and expensive, though Sandalwood from Australia and other South Pacific islands is still readily available. A study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, a formula used for containing just 5% Sandalwood essential oil used before exposure to toxins significantly reduced the formation of skin cancer tumors. A study published in January 2008 in the Journal of Anitcancer Research showed a significant reduction in tumor development in skin exposed to UVB radiation -- Sandalwood would make an excellent addition to a pre-sun body or face care formula.
• The Powerful Protection of Spice Oils : Components of Thyme and Oregano essential oils have been shown to actually protect human DNA strands from breaking when exposed to extreme oxidative stress. DNA damage is a leading cause of cancer development, as this can lead to an abnormal cell life cycle, essentially turning off the process of natural cell death. Carvacrol and Thymol were singled out in a study by Slovakian researchers in 2007, though they also note that other components of these oils may have chemoprotective effects as well. Other spice essential oils that have demonstrated cancer preventative effects include Ginger, Tumeric, Basil, Garlic and Sage.
• Essential Oils Offer Immune System Support : Beyond the direct effects on tumor cells, essential oils have been shown to positively effect the immune system on a chemical level. They can enhance the activity of white blood cells, making them more efficient and removing foreign material and microbes from the body. This would likely result in more effective cancer outcomes. Further, there's the psychological component of any disease, and many essential oils have demonstrated anti-stress activity in scientific investigations.