Aromathérapie

The aromathérapie ( étym : lat " aroma" , Greek " arôma" = flavor; Greek " therapeia" = care, cure) is the medical use of the aromatic extracts of plants (gasolines and essential Huiles). That differentiates it from the Phytothérapie which makes use of the whole of the elements of a plant.

The term is used for the first time by the chemist Rene Maurice Gattefossé in 1928.

In a traditional approach, connects Phytothérapie, it are connected with the Naturopathie. It is then classified among the not-conventional medicines.

In a scientific approach, it results from the Pharmacognosie.

History

In the history of medicine, at least until the 16th century, the history of the aromathérapie merges mainly with that of the Phytothérapie. The plants, as a whole, constituted the base of the Pharmacopée ancient civilizations.

If one finds the traces of methods of Distillation or extraction, in China or India, going back to several millenia, it is in Egypt that their use is proven. In Greece, the writings of Dioscoride refer to the use of aromatic extracts. The Romans will also use them in the form of fatty ointment.

To the 10th century, one allots to the Arab doctor alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan the invention of the Alambic. The processes of extractions will improve thereafter, the pharmacopeias especially using them after the 16th century. It is as from the 19th century, that one will start to isolate and classify the active ingredients of the odoriferous molecules what will allow their specific use.

20th century, the French school. In the years 1920, the chemist Rene Maurice Gattefossé who made research in Parfumerie, burned the hands seriously. It plunged them in an essential oil container of lavender and was immediately relieved, then noted a fast cure of its burns. Consequently, it devoted its research to the properties of the essential Huiles. It is at the origin of the neologism aromathérapie, since become current word. In the years 1960, Doctor Jean Valnet included work of Gattefossé and published reference books.

They are regarded as the fathers of the modern aromathérapie. Thereafter, Pierre Franchomme, with the concept of Chémotype contributes to the improvement of the quality of the extracts used.

At the end of the 20th century, as well as the whole of the Pharmacognosy, the aromathérapie profits from advanced from the methods of analysis, in particular from the Chromatographie. The precise distinction of the aromatic compounds makes it possible medicine to better apprehend their mechanisms of action, and to refine their presciption. In the future, the searchs for new active molecules are likely all to still call upon the aromatic extracts of plants.

Parallel to these scientific projections, the traditional aromathérapie always holds a great place among the not-conventional medicines, or is used in complement of treatment. It is always very present in the general public. Out of the Occident, aromathérapie and Phytothérapie hold today still an important place in the traditional Médecines.

General information

The aromathérapie is practically always associated with the Phytothérapie, in the therapeutic arsenal, the phyto-aromathérapie term is employed besides by the specialists.

The term of aromathérapie recovers very varied medical practices utilsant essential oils for example in the form of oiling (dissolution in an oil), of cream or lotion (emulsion oils in water) for the external use. Dispersion in honey or edible oil or simply on a sugar is usual for the administration by the oral way. The setting in gélules can be also realized. The aerosols obtained by atomizing of essential oils are more rarely used but dispersion in the atmosphere of a part obtained thanks to the use of special diffusers are very popular. The rectal way using of the suppository is very useful for certain therapeutic applications but is reserved for the medical community.

Essential oils are very expensive substances because very required. They thus are very often adulterated by oil addition of bad quality or by the addition of products of synthesis much less expensive. The essential oil of eucalyptus contains several tens of substances. Then one sells eucalyptol of synthesis (1-8 cinéole) which costs 10 times less expensive for essential oil of eucalyptus. Essential oils are degraded quickly if they are badly preserved (light, oxygen in air, temperature). To get essential oils and to make sure of their quality are one of complex trade which requires much experiment. In France, as in the majority of the European countries neither the sale of essential oils, nor the practice of the aromathérapie are regulated. It is thus very important above all to get essential oils of guaranteed quality and to be addressed to people qualified in aromathérapie.

The most usual uses of essential oils are:

the self medication of comfort, the calm one and relieving (baths, massages, cosmetic) and preparation with drowsiness;
one of the components of traditional medicines and the Naturopathie, (Ayurveda, etc)
an aromatic use in psychology

in medicine

the disinfection and cicatrization of the wounds or treatment of traumatisms (burns,…);
the complemententation with a chronic medical care;
dermatological cosmetic dermatology and it
but also the therapeutic choice made by a therapeutist qualified aromathérapeute doctor, pharmacist, or naturopathe (French school, Valnet, Franchomme, Baudoux)

In aromathérapie one always excludes from the treatments containing essential oils for very the young children (enzymatic immaturity of the infant), for the expectant mothers (especially during the first 3 months when the fabrics are in formation), for the allergic people (asthmatic,…), for the animals like the dogs and the cats (absence of certain enzymatic systems of metabolisation) and always without the opinion of an informed professional.

Certain essential oils are very well tolerated pure on the skin, but they are the exception. Certain essential oils are straightforwardly dermocaustic, i.e. that they even irritate that they deteriorate the skin. The majority of essential oils require to generally be diluted to the 1/5 (concentration max) at the 1/10 even at the 1/20 or to the 1/100 (concentration min) i.e. of 20%,10%,5% or 1% V/V or W/W in an plant oil (sweet almond, of lawyer, argan, macadamia etc) Certain essential oils are potentiated mutually and are thus more effective in association. The formulas associating of essential oils in certain indications such as recoveries in the specialized literature thus have a direction.

If the antibactériennes activities and anti-infectious of the essential Huiles are scientifically shown and universally recognized today. Other pharmacological activities are still the subject of research to be used well or to be used as well as possible. Certain therapeutic properties are the subject of controversies for various reasons. The primary reason is that one finds the use of same essential oils in very diverse and different indications. This is due to the fact that authentic essential oils consist of many different substances which are complementary and are complémentent in their respective pharmacological activities. Another reason is that the powerful drug company does not ensure their promotion and would tend even to disparage them in front of the medical community. Actually, it is necessary to treat essential oils as truths drugs which can make much good but evil also if they my are used.

Therapeutic indications

The properties of essential oils are multiple:

anti-infectious: antibactériennes (due to the carvacrol, thymol, eugenol, cinnamic aldehyde, the monoterpénols, etc), antimycotic (due to alcohols and sesquiterpenic lactones), antiviral (due to the monoterpénols, monoterpénals, etc), pest-destroying (due to phenols, with the ascaridole, etc), insects repellant and insecticides (lemongrass of Ceylon, camphor of the camphor tree of Japan, etc)
anti-inflammatory drugs (due to aldehydes, with chamazulene, etc)
anticatarrhales: expectorante (due to the 1,8-cinéole), mucolytic (due to the ketonic molecules and lactones)
antispasmodic antihistamine
(due to ethers and esters)
antalgic, analgesic and anesthetic
calming, hypnotic and anxiolytic
properties endocrinorégulatrices: estrogen-like, cortisone-like, etc
properties vasculotropes and hémotropes: hyperémiante, phlebotonic, lymphotonic, anticoagulant (due to coumarins) and fibrinolytic, antihématome (HE of hélichryse Italian), hemostatic, hypotensive
digestive properties: eupeptic, carminative, cholagogue and choleretic (due to the menthone, carvone and the verbénone)
antitoxic
anti-venomous
antirhumatismale
stimulative or alleviating
Aphrodisiac
etc

The chemical composition of the essential Huiles varies according to the country of harvest, altitude, the sunning, the conditions of harvests, the quality of distillation, storage (Chemotype). What can modify their properties.

Side effects of essential oils

Essential oils (HE) are active molecules, they can have serious side effects. It is important to respect the posology and the setting time.

Let us quote:

blistering properties and necrosing
properties allergisantes or hypersensibilisantes
photosensitizing properties (for example due to the furocoumarines) - All the Gasolines (peel) of citrus: lemon, tangerine, bergamot… However, due to the molecular weight of the furocoumarines responsible for the effects phototoxic and photosensitizing, the destilées gasolines do not contain any and do not involve this risk. Indeed, although the majority of these gasolines are extracted by cold expression, and furocoumarines (bergaptene, etc) contain, it is possible to obtain these same destilées gasolines, and thus without danger to the skin.
neurotoxic properties (for example due to ketones)
nephrotoxic properties (for example due to majority terpenes in the essential oil of terpentine, branches of genévrier, etc)
hepatotoxic properties (for example due to phenols taken during too important amounts of time or with massive amounts)
etc

The more or less serious accidents which multiply these last years with the growing popularization of the essential Huiles pose the problem of the formation of the public which has these substances on sale free and direct. So certain oils like the Lavender or the Tea tree present a relatively high threshold of toxicity, others can contain neurotoxic or abortive substances as of the first levels of overdose.

Let us announce for whatever purpose it may serve the essential Huiles following whose toxicity is proven and which the non-specialist will avoid using:

bitter almond (prunus amygdalus)
green anise (pimpinella anisum)
arnica (Montana arnica)
yellow birch (betula lenta)
camphor (cinnamomum will camphora)
tarragon (artemisia dranunculus)
gaulthery (gaultheria procumbens)
mint pouliot (mentha pulegium)
mustard (brassica will nigra)
origan (origanum vulgare)
officinal sage (salvia officinalis)
thuja (thuja occidentalis)

Also let us recall that like all active substances, the essential Huiles cross the Placenta or are transmitted by the mother's milk.

Methods of administration of essential oils

Profiting from a high diffusibility (volatile and lipophilic compounds), essential oils can be used in five different ways, according to their nature, of their proportioning and the required effect.

atmospheric diffusion : It is the use more facile.mais to use only one special diffuser which allows a micro diffusion, not burn-perfume which deteriorates essential oils by heating. One should not leave the active atmospheric diffuser permanently. Ten minutes per hour, it is very sufficient. But it should be known that the diffusion can be contra-indicated for the people suffering from respiratory allergies (asthma).
the inhalation : it is enough to add some drops of HE to a warm water bowl (nonebullient) and to breathe the vapors, a towel on the head. A dry inhalation is as possible by depositing some drops on a clean handkerchief as one will breathe deeply.
the transcutanée way (Massage S or baths): Few oils can be applied pure to the skin. Certain particularly aggressive essential oils being because very rich in phenol S, it is essential to dilute them in an plant oil. For the bath, HE, not being water-soluble, they must be used with a specific dispersant (not of milk, egg, alcohol…).
the oral way : if this mode of use can be most effective, it is on the other hand potentially dangerous because many essential oils are toxic, in particular those rich in Cétone S and in Lactone S. Of others, rich in phenol S are hepatotoxic and must be taken with HE hépatoprotectrices and on short term. It is the way most indicated for a " drainage hépatique".
the rectal way : (suppositories) it is the way preferably for the children and the infants or then the fragile people of the digestive mucous membranes. It has another advantage on the digestive tract, the resorption by the anal veins allow a by-pass of the liver. It thus makes it possible to have an interesting plasmatic rate whereas the digestive tract chops essential oils by effect of first passage hepatic. However, the people suffering from hémorroïdes or ignited diverticula can have difficulties with the rectal administration of essential oils.

Medical research on the use of essential oils

To date, several medical studies on essential oils were published, with very variable results, and this in several scopes of application: properties disinfectants, antinauséeuses, improvement of the comfort of the patient, etc.

Molecular Aromathérapie

If one moves away somewhat from the traditional design of the aromathérapie term, it is interesting to note that the aromatic extracts of plants are very studied in modern pharmagnosy. The search for new therapeutic molecules, the synthesis of existing molecules, or the limitation of the side effects makes that one finds many aromatic molecules in the drugs. The discovery of the paclitaxel (Taxol) extracted the bark of yew in is an good example. It became one of the basic drugs in the treatment of breast cancer.

Controversies

If the anti-bacterial use of essential oils is recognized, the controversies relate especially to their therapeutic indications, their effectiveness and on the methods of administration.

Used in an approach Holistique, the aromathérapie shares the controversies of them.

Compared to others natural medicines, the fact that its basic components can cause serious disorders, poses the problem of the training of the prescribers.

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