Questions about essential oils

[Emilie Bennett]

How exactly are these absorbed through the skin? What concentration gets into the blood stream? How does this affect the body?

 

[?V??us?]

Hi TheBoy,

I've moved your post over from general therapies over to here, purely because of the nature of your query.

In order to help you, may i ask you if there is specific purpose of your request, such as being an aromatherapy student?

On behalf of the Moderating Team,

calla lily

 

[Drew1080]

Personal curiosity. I was told during a massage that the essential oils would be absorbed by the body "..in effect it's like having a massage for 8 hours"
The most obvioucs way for this to happen is by osmosis but this requires the moelcules to be of a certain size. I had a breif debate with my thearpists on this and would just like a fuller explanation.

 

[Pansie]

Hello -
I'm not a trained aromatherapist, I'm an enthusiastic home user and quite a newbie at that

A quick search brought up this article about aromatherapy and skin absorption. The author is keen to point out that he believes aromatherapy works; though probably not through skin absorption (except when treating the skin and external conditions) but through inhalation, resulting in some chemicals transferring to the blood via the lungs.

It is clear that the skin absorbs many different chemicals (eg nicotine, alcohols, etc) and to differing degrees, though I don't know how - presumably this is through osmosis?

http://www.nature-helps.com/agora/skinabso.htm

 

[Dear Lisa, Count Me In]

PS: The article also mentions that essential oils in a warm bath would result in much more ready absorption via the skin, which IS a major part of aromatherapy treatment, more so than the author recognises.

I'd love to hear more information from clinical aromatherapists on this. It's really interesting, and so frustrating that some books state assumptions as if they were information.

 

[NeaCheaoue]

The site you have directed us to is by Martin Watt who has studied the absorption and toxicity of essential oils - he is a Medical Herbalist and has written about the scientific literature available on essential oils. Hopefully there will be more academic studies on the effects of essential oils, so that practitioners and clients alike understand more about how essential oils work.

Basically the molecular structure of the essential oils is small enough for some absorption to take place dermally. The oils also enter the bloodstream via the lungs following inhallation.




What books are you referring to?

Binah
x

 

[UltraRobbie]

I mentioned this in response to Martin Watt's article - he particularly mentions the diuretic qualities of Fennel when taken internally, and that there is no proof that the EO has the same effect when administered via massage.

But I have to say, when checking Patricia Davis's A-Z, she recommends fennel TEA, making no mention of massage, and Valerie Worwood recommends fennel in a BATH, not a massage.
I should perhaps read my books a touch more closely

But then neither author explicitly says that the diuretic properties of fennel are NOT best administered via massage, and so the assumption that it can be used in this way (as most essential oils are) is left unchallenged.
For a beginner like me it can be really confusing...lots left to learn.
That's why I joined this forum!!

x x x

 

[Red Jacket]

Thanks for the link Thell. some interesting reading.
I would like to know what likley concentration gets into the body by the different methods, so will look for some research on this.
Certainly chemicals can get into the body via inhalation but the concentration in a massage room would presumably be negligable?
Also the aroma therapy aspect may be jsut where the brain is stimulated by the ol'factory senses (who doesn't like the smell of warm bread) and along those lines presumably this would have a greater effect with women? I am basing this purely on the fact that women seem to react more emotionally to smells than men (how many men do you know who will stop and smell the flowers?)

If the essential oil is getting into the body and having an effect, is this not the same as introducing a prescribed drug? and should you be licenced like doctors?


Binah - Is the molecular size just the natural size of the moelcule?

 

[P A]

The amount of absorption of essential oils applied externally will alter from person to person depending on the condition of the skin and the part of the body that the oils are applied to - the forehead, injured or inflamed skin, mucous membranes, palms, scalp, shoulders and soles of the feet being relatively permeable. Whereas the abdomen, back, buttocks, chest and legs are relatively impermeable.

You raise the point Thell that when the client has had a bath with oils the skin is more absorbant, likewise if someone is in a spa and has had saunas, jaccuzis, rasuls etc their skin will absorb more essential oils than if they had walked in off the street for a massage.

I can assure you Thell, that Patricia Davis certainly mentioned in her aromatherapy course (of which I have a diploma) that massage using Fennel would have an effect also.

Kurt Schnaubelt in his book Advanced Aromatherapy suggests that application of essential oils dermally provides a high concentration of oil in the desired location, for example aching muscles, because they have the ability to penetrate tissue very quickly. This is a far safer mode of using the essential oils than ingestion, because direct absorption into the liver is avoided.

Aromatherapy is not just massage, it is the use of essential oils in a number of ways. Inhallations, baths, compresses, burners, and more subtle approaches with the use of crystals to balance chakras and in the aura of the person (don't ask how the subtle side of it works, take my word for it).

Why don't you pop down to your local aromatherapist and give it a go and see how you feel afterwards. After all it is not head stuff, unless you are one of those peeps that like to knock something without having direct experience of it. I say connect the mental with the physical this is what an holistic treatment is all about making those connections.

Binah
x

 

[LANE (D)]

The book, 'Aromatherapy for Health Professionals' Price and Price has a whole chapter running some 15 pages on How Essential Oils Enter the Body, with over half of this on Absorption Via the Skin.

There is a lot of technical detail of the various constituents of the oils and how they are absorbed, along with case studies and trial results here - too many to reproduce on this forum.

However, there is one paragraph, which may help to answer your question.

 

[maddiechickadee]

Wow, thanks Aromababe! That's brilliant. Looks like that book might be really fascinating. Yet another book to add to my Christmas list,...

 

[SUPAMAn]

You're welcome.

Agree that the book is a fantastic resource.

 

[Nikki Hawthurd]

aparently the effect only appears in women?

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg17423481.700

 

[ckipkgiw]

But that study is just smelling smells. They are not using essential oils which have known therapeutic properties which, I can assure you, work on both men and women in the manner outlined by Price and Price above.