The Aromatherapy Encyclopedia: A Concise Guide to Over 395 Plant Oils, 2nd Edition

448 Pages·2013·2.31 MB·English

by  David Schiller

This book is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the services of a natural practioner. Before using any of the oils,
please read the safety guidelines in Chapter 1 very carefully. The safe and proper use of the oils is the sole responsibility of the reader.
The authors and publisher assume no responsibility or liability for anyone’s misuse, carelessness, allergic reactions, skin sensitivity, or any
other conditions arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.
The publisher does not advocate the use of any particular healthcare protocol but believes the information in this book should be available
to the public. The publisher and author are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the
suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book. Should the reader have any questions concerning the appropriateness of
any procedures or preparation mentioned, the author and the publisher strongly suggest consulting a professional healthcare advisor.
Basic Health Publications, Inc.
28812 Top of the World Drive
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-715-7327 • www.basichealthpub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schiller, Carol.
The aromatherapy encyclopedia : a concise guide to over 385 plant oils / Carol Schiller and David Schiller ; illustrated by Jeffrey
Schiller.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59120-228-8
1.Aromatherapy—Encyclopedias. 2.Essences and essential oils—Encyclopedias.
I. Schiller, David II. Title.
RM666.A68S3525 2008
615'.321903—dc22
2008022199
Copyright © 2008 Carol Schiller & David Schiller
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.
Editor: Karen Anspach
Typesetting/Book design: Gary A. Rosenberg
Cover design: Mike Stromberg
Illustrations and front cover photographs: Jeffrey Schiller
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Aromatherapy Over the Years
C H A P T E R 1
Safety, Handling, and Selection of Oils
C H A P T E R 2
Vegetal Oils, Butters, and Waxes
C H A P T E R 3
Essential Oils
C H A P T E R 4
Infused Oils
C H A P T E R 5
Methods of Application, Dispersion, and Inhalation of Essential Oils
C H A P T E R 6
Category Listing of Oil Properties
Cross-Reference of Botanical Names to Common Names
Plant Family Name Classification
Glossary
Bibliography
About the Authors
Aromas open the gateway of the mind
and bring forth memories, feelings, and emotions.
All of us are affected—some more so than others.
—DAVID SCHILLER
Acknowledgments
We’d like to thank the following people:
Dr. Karl Werner Quirin, the pioneer of CO extractions, and founder and president of Flavex, a high-
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quality producer of CO extracts in Germany.
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Norman Goldfind, founder and publisher of Basic Health Publications.
Bernard Otremba-Blanc, Ph.D., for seeing the benefits of the essential oils and sharing the
information so more people can learn about and experience their great and important value.
To Harvey Farber, John Wendel, Ken Goodger, David Beaver, Dieter Kuster, Ph.D., Alban Muller,
and Xavier Ormancey, Ph.D., for providing quality education at the AromaHerb Conference and
Trade Show that helped people in the trade become more knowledgeable of the industry.
Ann Albers, an exceptional person and dedicated teacher; always helping people.
Sharon Muir, for supporting the education of aromatherapy so that many people can learn and
incorporate the essential oils into their lives.
Roslyn Blumenthal, for her valuable insight.
The libraries are the greatest institutions for learning. We extend our gratitude to the librarians and
staff at the Phoenix Public Library, especially: Greg Hills, Doris Foose, Maritza Jerry, Kathleen
Birtciel, Keith Cullers, Caren Lumley, Debbie Fincher, Nancy Madden, Karen Berner, Alex Latham,
Louis Howley, Randle’s Lunsford Jr., Delphine Snowden, Jonathan Cole, Rob Steele, and Rita
Martinez.
The librarians and staff at the Glendale Public Library, especially: Joan Jensen, Anne Owen, and
Stuart Levine.
INTRODUCTION
Aromatherapy Over the Years
ince the beginning of recorded history, aromatic plants have been used to scent, beautify, and
heal the body. In ancient times, wealthy Egyptians luxuriated in the pleasures of bathing in
scented waters, indulging in a delightful fragrant massage, and perfuming their bodies with enchanting
oils and ointments. The priests were the first perfumers and healers to dispense aromatics by
preparing blends for the kings, queens, and high dignitaries of temples and governments. During
religious ceremonies, they used aromatic waters in the anointing rituals, burned incense in an effort to
protect against evil spirits, and help the worshippers concentrate on their prayers. When the pharaohs
died, their bodies were wrapped with fabric containing cinnamon, myrrh, cedarwood, and other
resins and oils. This mummification method was confirmed to have been effective when modernday
archaeologists excavated the mummies and found them to be well preserved in their original burial
chambers.
The ancient Romans lavishly perfumed their bodies and scented everything from military flags to
the walls of their homes. Eventually Rome became the bathing capital of the world, with one thousand
public bath houses located throughout the city for people to bathe, socialize, and afterwards enjoy a
pampering massage with scented oils and unguents.
The art of extracting the volatile essences from plants was initiated by the Egyptians, who heated
them in clay containers. Two centuries later, Greek alchemists invented the distillation process,
which further developed the use of essences for religious and therapeutic purposes. By 1000 A.D., the
Arabic physician, Avicenna, perfected the extraction method by introducing the cooling system into
the distillation process, thereby creating the most potent essences with stronger fragrances.
During the fourteenth century, the Great Plague devastated Europe and Asia, killing millions of
people. All aromatic substances available were used for their antiseptic properties to fight off the
dreaded disease. Cedar, clove, cypress, pine, sage, rosemary, and thyme were burned in the streets,
hospitals, and sickrooms in a desperate attempt to prevent the spread of the epidemic. It was reported
that perfumers and those who handled and used aromatics of various kinds were virtually immune to
the ravages of the plague and survived.
The study of the therapeutic effectiveness of essential oils was further advanced by René-Maurice
Gattefosse, a French cosmetic chemist. In the early 1920s, while working in his laboratory,
Gattefosse accidentally burned his hand and immediately immersed it into the nearest cold liquid,
which happened to be a container of lavender oil. Surprisingly, the pain lessened and the reaction of
redness, inflammation, and blistering was drastically reduced. In addition, the wound healed very
quickly and no scar developed. After this incident, Gattefosse decided to dedicate the rest of his life
to the study of the remarkable healing properties of the essential oils and coined the term
“aromatherapy” in 1928.
Inspired by Gattefosse’s work, Jean Valnet, a French medical doctor, exclusively used the
essential oils to treat the battle wounds of the French soldiers during World War II. Dr. Valnet’s
extensive use of essences gained him official recognition in France and acknowledged aromatherapy
as a true therapy. His book, The Practice of Aromatherapy, is a classic work on the subject.
About the same time as Dr. Valnet was practicing aromatherapy, Madame Marguerite Maury, a
biochemist, pursued her study of the cosmetic and therapeutic uses of the essential oils. She was later
awarded the Prix International for her work in natural skin care.
Today, the use of essential oils worldwide is steadily becoming more widespread as greater
numbers of individuals become aware of the myriad life-enhancing properties of these remarkable
substances. These precious essences help balance and put us in greater harmony with the natural
world. They protect us with their antibacterial properties, reduce our stress, and give us comfort,
reassurance, and pleasure.
Some of the oils can produce instantaneous results that are easily recognizable, while others
perform their work at a slower pace in a relatively unnoticeable, subtle way. Only those people who
use the oils on a regular basis can begin to understand and fully appreciate and respect their
miraculous value.
Aromatherapy offers us a chance to reach out to our forgotten past. By looking to nature, with all
of its benefits and beauty, we can take advantage of the valuable wisdom of the ages from our
ancestors and benefit from this very precious gift of aromatic essential oils.
C H A P T E R 1
Safety, Handling, and Selection of Oils
SAFETY AND HANDLING OF OILS
Essential oils can be extremely beneficial when used properly; therefore, please follow these
guidelines:
• Essential oils are highly concentrated substances and should be diluted in a carrier oil such as
almond (sweet), jojoba, macadamia nut, or sesame oil before being applied on the skin, in order to
prevent skin irritation. (See Chapter 2 for proper blending.) If any skin irritation should occur as a
result of using the essential oils, immediately apply additional carrier oil or lavender oil to the
area. This will quickly soothe the skin.
• When applying essential oils on the skin, using a mist spray, or taking a scented bath, be careful
not to get the oils into the eyes. If this should occur, flush the eyes with cool water.
• Care must be taken when using carrier and essential oils during pregnancy. Many of the oils
have a stimulating effect on the uterus, which can be very helpful at the appropriate time to
facilitate childbirth. However, if those oils are used prior to the time of childbirth, they can bring
on premature labor. Even certain common foods, spices, and vegetable oils, such as celery,
carrots, parsley, basil, bay leaves, marjoram, and safflower oil, can stimulate uterine contractions.
• Small amounts (two to three drops at one time) of the following essential oils are known to be
safe during pregnancy: bergamot, coriander, cypress, frankincense, geranium, ginger, grapefruit,
lavandin, lavender, lemon, lime, mandarin, neroli, orange, patchouli, petitgrain, sandalwood,
tangelo, tangerine, tea tree, and temple orange. Sesame oil can be used as a carrier oil.
• A woman nursing her baby should exercise caution when using the essential oils as the effects of
the oils will be readily passed on to the infant.
• If a person is highly allergic, a simple test can determine if there is any sensitivity to a particular
oil. Rub a drop of carrier oil on the upper chest area, and in twelve hours, check if there is redness
or any other skin reaction. If the skin is clear, dilute one drop of an essential oil in twenty drops of
the same carrier oil and again apply to the upper chest area. If there is no skin reaction after
twelve hours, both the carrier and the essential oil can be used.
• Do not consume alcohol, except for a small glass of wine with a meal, in the time period when
using essential oils.
• Do not use essential oils while on medication as the oils might interfere with the medicine.
• After an essential oil blend is applied on the skin, avoid, for at least four hours, sunbathing,
sauna/steam room, or a hot bath, in order to prevent the possibility of skin irritation. This
precaution is especially important when using citrus, photo-toxic, and other essential oils that can
irritate the skin.
• There are people with extremely sensitive skin who cannot tolerate the essential oils without
experiencing skin irritation. If this is the case, discontinue use.
• Many essential oils will remove the finish when spilled on furniture; therefore, be careful when
handling the bottles.
• Light and oxygen cause oils to deteriorate rapidly. Refrigeration does not prevent spoilage, but
diminishes the speed at which it occurs. Therefore, oils should be stored in brown glass bottles in
a dark and cool place.
• Always use a glass dropper when measuring drops of essential oil.
• Keep all bottles tightly closed to prevent the oils from evaporating and oxidizing.
• Always store essential oils out of sight and reach of children.
METHODS OF EXTRACTION
The extraction process is a factor in determining the purity of the oil. Before purchasing carrier and
essential oils, it is important to become knowledgeable of these methods.
Steam Distillation
Steam from boiling water is used to extract the essential oil from the plant material. The steam rises
and passes through a cold coil, turning into a liquid. The essential oil floats on top of the water and is
skimmed off. The leftover water contains water-soluble components and is used as floral water.
Steam distillation is extensively used and produces a good quality essential oil.
Carbon Dioxide Gas Extraction
Expensive high-technology equipment is used to extract the essential oils. It employs carbon dioxide
gas (CO ), high pressure, and low temperature. This process produces an oil that retains a greater
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amount of aromatic components than oil derived by steam distillation. The scent of CO extracted oil
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is more identical to that of the original plant.