Books on Oils ** More Importantly, Books on Safe Use of Oils

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

 

> Now that I see I have been totally mislead, I wanted to know if

> anyone could recommend some good books on essential oils so I can

> find out the right way to use them, instead of what's in the YL

> book and the Essential Oils Desk Reference. Thanks! Joy

 

I hope you slow down a bit before you become totally convinced you have

been mislead. Better you feel REAL comfortable about it and not believe

all that is written by anyone - to include me. Make sure that you are

sure and the effect will last longer .. :-)

 

I have recommendations on some books below .. but you gotta either wade

through the dialogue to get to it, or go directly to the bottom. ;-p

Books on aromatherapy are rarely reference books - they are better

categorized as novels cause they are generally unreferenced books and

those few that do use any form of references often merely reference

comments contained in previously published novels that also contained no

real references.

 

It is doubtful that man has produced a perfect book. And I will admit

that it is far easier to critique a book than to write a book .. ;-p

Point is, the pioneers of aromatherapy had it rough - they broke the

ground and proved that particular seeds would thrive in particular

environments .... but many who followed them just put a slant on their

base data, as did the ones who followed them, and soon we had no new

information .. we just had folks publishing books. The pioneers were

courageous but those who follow are too often not willing to deviate

from the beaten (safe) path so we wind up with no real progress and a

lot of redundancy.

 

Why redundant? Why is there no abundance of new information? Why is AT

not progressing very quickly and why is AT not likely to be recognized

anytime soon (except by those practicing it) as a credible complementary

treatment modality? Because we have no progress! We continue to

repeat old info cause we don't seek new info. There's much new info

available - but it is not easy to acquire.

 

I have MANY studies that have been conducted by qualified professors in

universities - worldwide. I know other folks who also have such

studies. Problem is that most of the research is being conducted in

Third World and Emerging Market countries and it is not in English. If

it is not in English, it is the rare Westerner that can use it. Why is

such research not being conducted in Western countries? Has something

to do with mega-buck, multi-national pharmaceutical company interest.

Research is expensive ... rare is the university that has an adequate

budget for this so pharmaceutical companies fund and direct their

efforts. As it takes a few million bucks and quite a few years to gain

approval of a new patent or OTC medication, and you can't patent a

natural product, there is no reason for the commercial folks to fund

such research. But the Third World has not yet become as corrupted as

has the Western world.

 

I can fill a footlocker with the research I have collected - and it is

mostly written in Turkish. Those who are in the know understand that

one of the world's foremost researchers and authors on essential oils is

Dr. Professor K. Husnu Can Baser, Director of the Turkish Medicinal and

Aromatic Plant and Drug Research Center .. and Dean of the School of

Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey. Professor Baser is

well known in the international academic and research community, and his

resume will fill our hard drives ... he is considered to be THE EXPERT

on some aromatic plants ... one being the Origanums, for which two

plants carry his name ... he is the author. Have any of you EVER seen

any of his research referred to in an aromatherapy book? Pick any

country and you will find people who have similar qualifications and who

have conducted amazing research using aromatic plants and essential

oils.

 

I have lectured on his research .. and I will probably present some of

it again this May if I lecture at the NAHA conference in Raleigh, NC.

Dr. Baser and five other prominent scientists have one project that has

gotten a lot of attention in the international community .. but it is

not to be found in an AT book. They had a ONE HUNDRED PER CENT success

rate in curing lung cancer in rats. What did they use to do this?

Oregano .. Origanum onites to be exact. I asked him why he chose onites

and he said because that is what he had handy at the time .. ;-p In

fact, it was the carvacrol in the Origanum that did the job and any of

the carvacrol-rich Origanums would have produced the same results.

 

Does such research interest the pharmaceutical industry? Might disturb

them a bit but I think that would be their only reaction. But we are

not members of the pharmaceutical industry so why do we (AT writers) not

do a bit of homework and REFERENCE some of these MANY scientifically

sound, double-blind tested, peer-reviewed research projects? One might

say, " That was invivo or invitro testing and it doesn't necessarily mean

it will apply equally as well to humans. " They would be right in saying

this and Professor Baser and the other professors (to include some who

were also medical doctors) agree. It means there is need for further

study - they are plowing new ground. But it also is worthy of mention

in AT books as it would do much to help establish credibility in the AT

industry, as well as enlighten those who are practitioners or end-users.

 

Due to a lack of new information ... it is generally accepted in the AT

community that many AT books are redundant and that has been the case

for many years. You can find a different slant on use of the same oil

but it is doubtful that you will gain a significant amount of new

information by reading each book. There are exceptions .. as is always

the case. And there are some publications that are dated but we still

hold the writers in great esteem because they were pioneers ... what

they built were basic foundations that were later used to support

further study - to a point.

 

Some famous names follow .. some should not be read methinks.

 

As you all probably know, we have a few Icons in the AT world - but the

Holy Father is considered to be Rene-Maurice Gattefosse .. and if not

for the efforts of Robert Tisserand, we would not be able to read the

great works of Gattefosse .. unless we spoke French .. ;-p

 

But you need good medical and chemical knowledge to interpret some of

the stuff Gattefosse wrote about. The most important thing that most

aromatherapists fail to realize is that rarely did he use whole EOs.

Gattefosse was a fragrance chemist and in the limited amount of medical

advice he gave they used terpeneless oils.

 

Valnet: His book is mainly about herbs rather than oils. There are

many errors on chemistry in it.

 

Maury: First and foremost a beautician with no medical training. Her

main thing was massage and essential oils were secondary. Her claims on

the effects of oils are the classic beauty therapy hype.

 

Penoel: A very dangerous one who prescribes treatments which if he

worked within main stream medicine he would never get away with. All

his work is done in private clinics where there is no French State

supervision. In such cases the only time you get a problem is if a

patient can afford to sue you. A similar scenario to the cosmetic

surgeons in the UK who have had no training and ruin people's lives. He

worked for Young Living for a long time .. then had a falling out with

Gary Young .. appears to be the case for all who work closely with him.

 

Glaring errors in many books are generally repetitive regurgitations of

previously published information that is unproven and unreferenced.

It's not always a case of presentation of unsafe information - though

that can be found too - but more a case of incorrect information that

has been repeated to a point that it has become a part of the dogma of

AT and as such, has either stopped further research or has corrupted

facts to a point that we build new beliefs on unstable foundations~!

 

Examples .. how many books can we find that include contraindications

that DO NOT warn you against the use of Rosemary if you suffer from high

BP or epilepsy? It is easier to ask how many don't rather than how many

do. Point is .. there is NO scientific support for such cautions and to

take it a bit farther, there is no anecdotal or empirical support.

There is much anecdotal and empirical evidence to show that there is no

danger and if we want to look back at the ancient medical texts that

were used prior to the popularization of synthetic medications, we find

references to Rosemary being used to PRECLUDE epileptic seizures. What

does this mean? Means somewhere along the line, someone transposed a

word or two .. and completely changed the meaning. This is one that

I've harped on for years and I have challenged the experts on ALL the

major AT lists to provide ANY information to support the dangers of

Rosemary. To date, there has been none .. what has come out of these

discussions is folks who have high BP and epilepsy provide testimonials

that they have no problems ... and a good handful that claim Rosemary

STOPS their seizures. My daughter has suffered epilepsy for better than

26 years so this is one that is close to my heart.

 

We can say that when we are unsure it's best to err on the safe side,

but if that stops our search for truth, does it improve our knowledge or

allow us to move forward? It's much easier to tell your child to remain

in the yard than it is to teach them how to safely cross the street.

Many who previously taught the warnings of Rosemary have agreed to

modify their positions .. they still want to CYA but agree that passing

rumor as fact is nonproductive - so they have begun to say something

like, " there is common belief that Rosemary should not be used by those

with XX and XX. Though there is no sound support for such beliefs, I

want to ensure you have this information so you can make informed

decisions for yourself. " Methinks that is some progress.

 

How many books can we find that falsely claim that Pennyroyal is an

abortificant ... or that Marjoram can lower blood pressure? There is no

support for such statements. I could go on and on but the point I want

to make is ... be assured that if you read 5 of the best AT books around

and then read the other 40-50 that can be found .. you will know little

more after completion of that last batch.

 

I am not going to badmouth any writer .. almost without exception, I'll

say that all of them have good knowledge of AT but most of the experts

in AT (the practitioners) are not necessarily experts on the essential

oils themselves. They explain how to balance the notes of an EO in a

blend and which oils allegedly do this or that ... but we can all go to

forty-eleven sources (primary one is Sylla's AT Reference Manual) and

find the column we seek for which EO is traditionally believed to be

helpful for which ailment ... we don't need an AT book to gather this

information.

 

Most AT books concern themselves with blending and application of the

traditions of AT .. they rarely discuss the study of EO or attempt to

debunk the rumors. Carrying forward bad info, whether due to a lack of

desire or lack of concern, does nothing to improve the trade or bring

credibility to what has remained a cottage-industry .. in other words,

they are trade publications ... not reference books. We are often a

very comfortable group and much of that comfort is due to the belief

that our Emperor has new clothes.

 

I see the same old misinformation beaten around and carried forward in

most of the popular books on AT - I have read or at least skimmed and

attempted to read most of them. I have read reviews of many I have not

read. Discussion of the merits of AT books pops up 4-5 times a year on

the Idma List .. and I have collected that data for many years .. it has

helped me to better understand some of the folks in AT. I read their

opinions and then read the book .. ;-)

 

Jeanne Rose is one of the old-timers .. a pioneer I should say, and has

my respect. But there are errors to be found in some of her work simply

because it is dated. Jean was writing before most of us were twinkles

in our father's eyes.

 

Tisserand has done a lot to improve the image of AT, to include

translation of the work of Gattefosse. He also edited Dr. Jean Valnet's

" The Practice of Aromatherapy, " which is not one the novice should

begin with. Long ago, Dr. Valnet preached on the dangers of synthetics

and particularly overuse of antibiotics. As one who has not used an

OTC or prescription medication .. or had need to visit a medical doctor

since 1996 .. and who is NEVER ill for more than 48 hours (usually less)

I can appreciate his position. I have the immune system of a Great

White Shark .. or maybe a Cockroach .. ;-p

 

Lemme say here that I do all I can to publicize the fact that though I

have some training/knowledge of AT, I do NOT want to be known as an AT

Practitioner. I have my reasons for this and it's not likely to change

until the practice of AT changes. On a personal level I use EO to stay

healthy, or to get well if I allow my immune system to become low enough

to be affected by a bad bug .. I do this for me and mine.

 

Professionally, I am concerned with the production and quality assurance

of EO.

 

I ingest some EOs .. I know, AT Practitioners say we should not ingest

EOs. They gotta say that folks! They are not medical doctors and as

such, they are not allowed to prescribe or even suggest the use of

medications .. but lemme tell you that MOST of the experts do ingest and

we discuss it often. Some of them have elected to come out of the

closet and provide personal testimonials .. others are still concerned

that if they tell it like it is, it might be seen as being a

recommendation and they are rightfully concerned that some folks will

take the wrong EO in the wrong dosage for the wrong illness at the wrong

time. Enough I reckon, but I also DO NOT make recommendations on

internal use of EO .. I do provide my personal testimonials from time to

time and make it real clear - to a point of being idiot-proofed, that I

am not recommending.

 

Back at the farm ... Valerie Worwood's " The Fragrant Pharmacy " is a fine

publication - methinks.

 

These books are not a matter of crap vs gold .. depends on what we are

looking for. If we wanna find it, we can find some folks pitching AT

(or other use of EO) as if it were a primary or alternative treatment

modality .. hogwash this is but there are some who do and one of them is

authorized to do so because he has a medical degree. Others are just

practicing medicine without a license .. Young Living is a good example

of this.

 

We should be concerned with safe use of essential oils and where to find

scientific data (vs opinions) that show us results of tests conducted to

determine safe dermal use of EO. There are some basic AT books that are

great as an Intro 101 to AT .. and there are some we should not attempt

to read until we are comfortable with the basics. Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt's

" Medical Aromatherapy " is one such book - it's also one of my

favorites.

Dr. Valnet's book (referenced is one the novice should not start with.

 

I consider technical knowledge as being very specialized and credible

and functional - if I read a publication that contains information that

cannot be supported by more than reference to another book that

references another book and all are missing scientific references for

their claims, I can't call it technical knowledge .. it is general

knowledge or perhaps belief that is based on a popular party line .. or

the accepted norms of the trade. This is my personal opinion .. I have

no problem with disagreement here.

 

I'll bet you didn't expect an essay in reply to your question .. ;-p I

believe I need to make clear my points and I hope I have done so. There

is much contradictory information in this industry; folks see that after

they read all the books. It is not easy to tackle opinions but it is

easy to evaluate scientific data .. or even data that is not so

scientific but at least refers to scientific data. I am not at all

concerned about what EO Jack or Jill uses in their guaranteed to not

rust, bust or collect dust blend they use for curing the heebyjeeby

or making their spouse more easy to live with. I do become concerned

if I see someone selling a blend that is guaranteed to straighten a

crooked spine, cure cancer, or allow the blind to see and the deaf to

hear again, etc. .. and there are some out there who will tell you they

have discovered such secrets. I am concerned for two reasons .. safety

and ethics.

 

More than half my life (30 years) was spent in the US Army .. my primary

branch was Military Police. I think I am still a sceptic and have a

strong dislike for con artists.

 

I am a bit unique in this industry in that I don't do this for money ..

I don't wanna lose money but making it is not important to me as I don't

need money. I feel comfortable in being able to tell it like I think it

is. It's nice to have the freedom to be ornary .. ;-p

 

If you wanna know what I think about some books .. here it is.

 

As for reference books .. this is the MUST HAVE list and they are heavy

into safe use of EO. I doubt you can find many in the industry who will

disagree here:

 

Sylla Sheppard-Hanger - AT Practitioner Mannual Vol I & II

Check it out at http://www.AV-AT.com/manual01.html

 

Martin Watt - Plant Aromatics .. (and all of his publications)

I am the publisher and exclusive distributor for his publications in all

areas outside of Europe.

 

The SHOULD HAVE List:

 

Bob Harris - The Aromatic Database, Revised

Robert Tisserand - Essential Oil Safety

 

The STARTER SET:

 

Collen Dodt - The Essential Oils

Roberta Wilson - Vibrant Health and Beauty

* Salvatore Battaglia - Complete Guide to Aromatherapy

 

* (I have problems with the title " Complete Guide " but it is a good

book. There are many Complete Guides of this and that in AT and NONE of

them are Complete Guides. We would need an 18 wheeler to haul a

complete guide.

 

ADVANCED:

 

" Advanced Aromatherapy " and " Medical Aromatherapy " by Kurt Schnaubelt.

 

If you wanna know what I really think about the industry of AT, go to

this URL http://www.aromamedical.demon.co.uk/new/newadvice.htm

The only thing I would change now is the recommendation on AT Courses -

Martin Watt has a new one that can't be touched by any others.

 

Also ... I highly recommend folks look at Martin Watt's website at this

URL http://www.aromamedical.demon.co.uk/ ... you don't gotta agree with

all you read but this site provides a different perspective - mayhaps.

 

Y'all keep smiling .. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

[Guest guest]

Wow, very enlightening! Thank you for the detailed

response and the book recommendations. I was just

flabbergasted to find out that I was lied to, and

suddenly began to question all the materials I had in

regards to YL.

Joy

 

--- Butch Owen <butchbsi wrote:

> Hi Joy,

>

> > Now that I see I have been totally mislead, I

> wanted to know if

> > anyone could recommend some good books on

> essential oils so I can

> > find out the right way to use them, instead of

> what's in the YL

> > book and the Essential Oils Desk Reference.

> Thanks! Joy

>

> I hope you slow down a bit before you become totally

> convinced you have

> been mislead. Better you feel REAL comfortable

> about it and not believe

> all that is written by anyone - to include me. Make

> sure that you are

> sure and the effect will last longer .. :-)

>

> I have recommendations on some books below .. but

> you gotta either wade

> through the dialogue to get to it, or go directly to

> the bottom. ;-p

> Books on aromatherapy are rarely reference books -

> they are better

> categorized as novels cause they are generally

> unreferenced books and

> those few that do use any form of references often

> merely reference

> comments contained in previously published novels

> that also contained no

> real references.

>

> It is doubtful that man has produced a perfect book.

> And I will admit

> that it is far easier to critique a book than to

> write a book .. ;-p

> Point is, the pioneers of aromatherapy had it rough

> - they broke the

> ground and proved that particular seeds would thrive

> in particular

> environments .... but many who followed them just

> put a slant on their

> base data, as did the ones who followed them, and

> soon we had no new

> information .. we just had folks publishing books.

> The pioneers were

> courageous but those who follow are too often not

> willing to deviate

> from the beaten (safe) path so we wind up with no

> real progress and a

> lot of redundancy.

>

> Why redundant? Why is there no abundance of new

> information? Why is AT

> not progressing very quickly and why is AT not

> likely to be recognized

> anytime soon (except by those practicing it) as a

> credible complementary

> treatment modality? Because we have no progress!

> We continue to

> repeat old info cause we don't seek new info.

> There's much new info

> available - but it is not easy to acquire.

>

> I have MANY studies that have been conducted by

> qualified professors in

> universities - worldwide. I know other folks who

> also have such

> studies. Problem is that most of the research is

> being conducted in

> Third World and Emerging Market countries and it is

> not in English. If

> it is not in English, it is the rare Westerner that

> can use it. Why is

> such research not being conducted in Western

> countries? Has something

> to do with mega-buck, multi-national pharmaceutical

> company interest.

> Research is expensive ... rare is the university

> that has an adequate

> budget for this so pharmaceutical companies fund and

> direct their

> efforts. As it takes a few million bucks and quite

> a few years to gain

> approval of a new patent or OTC medication, and you

> can't patent a

> natural product, there is no reason for the

> commercial folks to fund

> such research. But the Third World has not yet

> become as corrupted as

> has the Western world.

>

> I can fill a footlocker with the research I have

> collected - and it is

> mostly written in Turkish. Those who are in the

> know understand that

> one of the world's foremost researchers and authors

> on essential oils is

> Dr. Professor K. Husnu Can Baser, Director of the

> Turkish Medicinal and

> Aromatic Plant and Drug Research Center .. and Dean

> of the School of

> Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey.

> Professor Baser is

> well known in the international academic and

> research community, and his

> resume will fill our hard drives ... he is

> considered to be THE EXPERT

> on some aromatic plants ... one being the Origanums,

> for which two

> plants carry his name ... he is the author. Have

> any of you EVER seen

> any of his research referred to in an aromatherapy

> book? Pick any

> country and you will find people who have similar

> qualifications and who

> have conducted amazing research using aromatic

> plants and essential

> oils.

>

> I have lectured on his research .. and I will

> probably present some of

> it again this May if I lecture at the NAHA

> conference in Raleigh, NC.

> Dr. Baser and five other prominent scientists have

> one project that has

> gotten a lot of attention in the international

> community .. but it is

> not to be found in an AT book. They had a ONE

> HUNDRED PER CENT success

> rate in curing lung cancer in rats. What did they

> use to do this?

> Oregano .. Origanum onites to be exact. I asked him

> why he chose onites

> and he said because that is what he had handy at the

> time .. ;-p In

> fact, it was the carvacrol in the Origanum that did

> the job and any of

> the carvacrol-rich Origanums would have produced the

> same results.

>

> Does such research interest the pharmaceutical

> industry? Might disturb

> them a bit but I think that would be their only

> reaction. But we are

> not members of the pharmaceutical industry so why do

> we (AT writers) not

> do a bit of homework and REFERENCE some of these

> MANY scientifically

> sound, double-blind tested, peer-reviewed research

> projects? One might

> say, " That was invivo or invitro testing and it

> doesn't necessarily mean

> it will apply equally as well to humans. " They

> would be right in saying

> this and Professor Baser and the other professors

> (to include some who

> were also medical doctors) agree. It means there is

> need for further

> study - they are plowing new ground. But it also is

> worthy of mention

> in AT books as it would do much to help establish

> credibility in the AT

> industry, as well as enlighten those who are

> practitioners or end-users.

>

> Due to a lack of new information ... it is generally

> accepted in the AT

> community that many AT books are redundant and that

> has been the case

> for many years. You can find a different slant on

> use of the same oil

> but it is doubtful that you will gain a significant

> amount of new

> information by reading each book. There are

> exceptions .. as is always

> the case. And there are some publications that are

> dated but we still

> hold the writers in great esteem because they were

> pioneers ... what

> they built were basic foundations that were later

> used to support

> further study - to a point.

>

> Some famous names follow .. some should not be read

> methinks.

>

> As you all probably know, we have a few Icons in the

> AT world - but the

> Holy Father is considered to be Rene-Maurice

> Gattefosse .. and if not

> for the efforts of Robert Tisserand, we would not be

> able to read the

> great works of Gattefosse .. unless we spoke French

> .. ;-p

>

> But you need good medical and chemical knowledge to

> interpret some of

> the stuff Gattefosse wrote about. The most

> important thing that most

>

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

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