Freshly  returned from a most excellent, and trouble-free, 1,300 miles round-trip to Angoulême, I am already under pressure to get this Newsletter written. I am told  that they also expect the December one to be in the bag before we depart at the end of the month. This is ridiculous! For years I have struggled to get ONE out on time. Still, let's sift through the magazines which have piled up on my desk  during my brief absence; they might provide some, initial, inspiration.

Aromatherapy World (Harvesting, Autumn 1997, edition) definitely gets my prize for the  consistently most attractive front cover. Always featuring a stunning, coloured, photograph of an aromatic plant, this edition proudly displays a wonderful picture of a St. Lucia Ginger (Zingiber officinale) plant in full bloom. I was  surprised by the resplendent, purplish-red, colour of the bloom as I had always understood that it was greenish-yellow (a fact confirmed in the accompanying  article). I believe that the plant does not always produce flowers; indeed, in  some regions flowers are very rarely seen.

For  equestrian enthusiasts, there is an excellent article on Aromatherapy for Horses  by Sarah Fisher. Having had several discussions myself with the Veterinary  Medicines Directorate, I was pleased to note that she spelt out the cautions when applying essential oils to animals. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons states that essential oils are medicinal and that any application of them constitutes a medical treatment and as such must therefore be carried out  solely by veterinarians. According to the College, companies supplying any goods  containing aromatherapy properties are theoretically in breach of the law. She continues...Please remember that by law you must have written permission of your vet, even if (as I understand it) you are the owner of that animal, or work with  your vet alongside a qualified aromatherapist if you wish to utilise the many benefits of essential oils. A sobering thought!

I  always look forward to receiving Aromatherapy Quarterly, with its wistful mix of  the scientific and metaphysical. However, in the latest issue, Editor Séza  Eccles strikes a harsher note in her editorial....The hijacking of the word aromatherapy and the definition of an essential oil are two issues which are fundamental to the future of professional aromatherapy. Oh! My goodness, this is an issue that has been occupying some of the finest minds in the industry for months. Have they resolved them, I wonder? What's this? Martin Watt's article  Aromatherapy: the Pure and the Natural? questions one of the UK trade  associations' definition of an "essential" and "aromatherapy oil". He suggests  that if this association does not re-consider its definitions, it will be impossible for Trading Standards Officers in the UK to take action to control suppliers of sub-standard aromatherapy merchandise. Heavens! Wattie! He must have assumed the mantle of the AQ's champion, Michael van Moppes, in which case,  as Mike is incontrovertibly connected with my old trade association, EOTA, Martin must be gunning for the ATC (Aromatherapy Trades Council). Wait a minute!  We are members of the ATC and so are many of Séza's other advertisers. Risky stuff, as I well remember when I was a publisher myself!

Still, as Séza says, The aromatherapy community is one international family. Like all  families, we cannot choose who will be a member - however, we do all have to live together. It is important to realise that the actions of one member of the family profoundly affects all others. How true! If the representatives of our essential oil suppliers do not fiercely defend the use of the word aromatherapy  and exercise voluntary quality control of the essential oils put on sale, then  the negative consequences will come home to roost on our doorstep and the entire  professional family will have to bear the fall-out. But, surely, this is precisely what the ATC has been trying to do since its inception; but the defence of the word aromatherapy , I would have thought difficult, and extremely expensive, in law.In any event, I have never particularly liked the word since it was demeaned in the popular media by unsavoury connotations. I have always  preferred the term Osmotherapy, a term coined by Steve Van Toller and George Dodd (Perfumery - The Psychology and biology of fragrance) to describe the directly beneficial effect of the fragrance, a term which lacks the arcane and potentially quackish connotations of the more general expression "aromatherapy". However, strictly, this term is not correct, if my Classical education serves me, as the Greek for a smell is osme and not osmos, a push or thrust. And so,  perhaps, Osmetherapy would serve but, like the term Aromatherapy, it does not  fully recognise the role of expectation which is especially important in areas  such as aromatherapy, which, despite the expectations invoked by the name, also  involves the sense of touch (possibly the major contribution to its success)  together with an intense interaction between client and practitioner. After that diversion into semantics, what does Martin have to say? In short, a great deal!  I had hoped that, at the very least, having castigated all essential oil  suppliers and poured scorn upon the ATC's definition of an essential oil and an  aromatherapy oil, he would offer us his own definitions and guidance. Instead, whilst advising that....You, as aromatherapists, should be putting massive  pressure on your aromatherapy trade associations (which)........may  understandably resist such open discussion of these issues as there is a chance  that it will throw light on hidden business motivations......he gets the mandatory "plugs" for his own business interests, without even placing an  advertisement! I wonder if Tricia Davis would not have had a firmer editorial  hand? In like vein, I should have preferred to see the rather convoluted Aromatherapy Reader Survey - by EOTA 95, which accompanies the article, returned  to the Editorial Offices of the AQ rather than to the premises of an essential  oil supplier and, what's more, a member of the ATC! Hare or hound, I ponder?  When all is said and done, I would surmise that the wrong sector of the industry is being berated to defend and define. Still, enough of this bickering! Martin  is an old friend.

In the same edition of the AQ, I was delighted to read an excellent article - The Chameleon Oil - by Jan Kusmirek about Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera L.), in which  he extols the considerable benefits of Monoï. He emphasises a point that I have  made in previous Newsletters...Unfortunately, over the years, monoï has become a  name loosely applied to many so-called perfumed oils. Although monoï oil is  widely spoken of, the oil is not yet widely used. Recently, however, monoï has  been given an AOC label Appellation d'origine. I was a little amused to see a  footnote explaining that AOC was the UK's Aromatherapy Organizations Council. I think not! AOC abbr. appellation d'origine contrôlée. Rather like thinking that Martin Watt, Director of Education of IATA (Canada) as he is introduced, is with  the International Air Transport Association. Talk about hijacking! Sometimes, I  think that we forget how young and esoteric our industry is.

Back to MONOÃ�. Our own product is the "real deal", as you will see from the attached AOC label. It really is an exceptional product, having cured my rheumatism when  everything else had failed! How? I cannot explain, but it works! In fact, so delighted am I with the oil, I have commissioned some Monoï Soap which,  hopefully, will make it onto this month's Special Offers.

Finally, I have to mention a splendid piece - Close Encounters of the Essential Kind - by Helen Guthrie about Khella (Ammi visnaga Lam.). I hope that Helen will forgive me if I quote one of her Case Studies. Client had liver cancer and was to  receive chemotherapy. However, her immunology count was very low, only 0.4%, so  treatment was cancelled. Her aromatherapist was "inspired" to make up a blend of khella oil in a base oil of Manuka. The client sniffed the bottle only when  moved to do so. Four days later, her immunology count was back up to 5, so the chemotherapy could take place. The client continued to sniff the blend when she felt the need, which lessened progressively. Helen is currently President of the New Zealand Register of Holistic Aromatherapists and is particularly interested in mental/emotional disturbances and their treatment with aromatherapy.

You  will note that our NEW PRICE LIST has been greatly expanded to include all those  oils and other products which we have long stocked but never listed. We hope that you like it. We have tried to retain prices at current levels but, due to  market conditions, we have had to increase the price of one or two: Patchouli  (Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.) and Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) are cases in point. Also, I have abandoned purchasing Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis L.) from Chile. I did not like the quality. I have opted for English Grown and Distilled Anthemis only. I think that you will agree that the little extra cost  is well worth it.

You  will also see that we have included for the first time the authors of plant names, e.g. Ammi visnaga Lam. I find it a fascinating subject. Who would have thought that the simple abbreviation, Lam., represents Jean Baptiste Antoine  Pierre de Monnet de Lamarck?!

Did  you know that a new fragrance is launched somewhere in the world every three  days, and globally the scent business is currently worth an estimated $15.5  billion? Perfume is more popular than ever. Aromatherapy has contributed to an  awareness and appreciation of the power and revitalising qualities of essential  oils and their odours. People have become aware that subtlety has more appeal than in-your-face, up-your-nose aggression. And now enterprising new perfume  makers are poised to reap the benefits of a less corporate approach to scent.  Fragrance boutiques are flourishing. Amongst these is Les Senteurs whose Jilly  Fraysse kindly came and spoke about perfume at our recent, most successful (judging from your kind comments), Open Day. Jilly referred me to an excellent  book on the subject by Susan Irvine, in which it is pointed out that producing natural oils is labour-intensive: flowers have to be picked by people. A bad  harvest means the price of a flower essence rockets, and bad weather can mean the quality goes down. Too true!

I  was discussing just this point with Jenny Powell, of Traceability, the other  day. She mentioned how many "doubtful" Ylang (Cananga odorata forma genuina)  oils she had had to analyse recently. I had to admit that we had been experiencing a similar problem. Having John Bizeray permanently based in Nossi-Bé, Madagascar, we check Ylang production on almost a daily basis. The  rain has played havoc with the quality but when you are under contract, as we  are, we have to call-off year-round and, therefore, shipments of rainy season  (normally January to March, but longer this year) oil are never up to the  quality of the oil produced immediately after, from April to June. At this time of year, the islands of the Indian Ocean have just moved into Spring and the flowers are drier and contain more oil and, hopefully, the quality of the oil  will be much improved. Only the fully developed, yellow flowers should be gathered, because the green (underdeveloped) flowers contain less essential oil  than the yellow ones. What is more, their oil is of poor quality, possessing a low specific gravity and exhibiting a rather flat odour. Great care must be  taken not to crush the flowers during picking. Damaged flowers readily fade,  turn black, and cause fermentation of the sound material in the same basket. Unfortunately, the harvesters tend to pick the flowers rapidly and indiscriminately, and to collect green flowers along with yellow ones. Green and yellow flowers cannot always be clearly distinguished, but there is a simple  test that eliminates any doubt as to shade of colour: on the inner base fully matured flowers have two small reddish spots, caused probaly by the presence of traces of indole. The flowers should be distilled immediately on arrival at the  still, otherwise they start to fade and ferment, particularly when left in the  baskets. Ideally, they should be spread on the floor in a thin layer until they can be distilled, but often small distillers do not have sufficient floor space.

In the course of the distillation of ylang flowers, the distillate is separated into various fractions; as distillation proceeds the specific gravity and the ester content of these fractions decrease, whereas the optical rotation and the refractive index increase. The Extra fraction exhibits the highest specific gravity and ester number, and the lowest optical rotation and refractive index, whereas the Third fraction has the lowest specific gravity and ester number, and  the highest optical rotation and refractive index. Thus, the quality of the various fractions can be simply determined from their physicochemical  properties. The Extra and First fractions possess the strongest and finest odour, because they contain the highest percentage of esters, ethers, and phenols. The last fractions consist chiefly of sesquiterpenes, and therefore have only little odour value.

The  colour of the oils range from light amber to yellow-brown. The Extra exhibits the deepest colour, probably because of phenolic substances. If exposed to light, it easily turns brown, losing its originally delicate and strong odour.  Also, ylang oils when exposed to light and air rapidly change their  physicochemical properties: specific gravity increases, while the optical rotation decreases. In other words, it is possible with time that the specific  gravity and optical rotation of an improperly stored Third quality oil can  approach those of a freshly distilled Second quality oil. John has a lot to keep his eye on!

Finally, I am indebted to Anne Hopley for taking the trouble to send me details of what sounds an excellent alternative to the dreaded DEET, which I mentioned last  month. Sarah-Lou Reekie, a volunteer at the Chelsea Physic Garden, has developed  a luxurious insect-repellent moisturising cream called ALFRESCO (P.0. Box 7401,  London N6 6BQ). It contains extracts of geranium, lavender and melissa and, according to tests at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, it really works! I'm packing some!

*  STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS *  From SYLVIA BAKER, ATC Administrator, on behalf of The ATC Executive Committee  RECENT ARTICLES IN AROMATHERAPY QUARTERLY

"  it is extremely disturbing to read an article in the current issue of Aromatherapy Quarterly raising the issue of licensing essential oils. The ATC Executive wish to make it clear that they totally disassociate themselves with this article. Bearing in mind: (a) the huge campaign mounted in 1994 to preserve  the exemptions from licensing, (b) the fact that these also give UK  aromatherapists their livelihood, and (c) that if essential oils are licensed they have to be standardised. thereby losing their holistic therapeutic effects.

The  article is to say the least immensely stupid, especially in the light of the UK Government's sensitive situation within Europe. The MCA are perfectly happy at the moment with the way aromatherapists are working, making no medicinal claims  except on a one-to-one basis and using and recommending small amounts of essential oils in baths. massage. inhalations etc. The implications to  therapists and the industry of licensing essential oils could be disastrous. It would put the whole therapy into a different ball game where essential oils are  likely to be available only through pharmacies and play straight into the hands  of France and Belgium, justifying their lobby for therapists to be medically  qualified. That anyone could even suggest essential oils should be licensed at  this stage of our development is irresponsible in the extreme and brings the trade itself into disrepute. It could also have a knock-on effect for Herbal  Medicine, both to practitioners and suppliers.

Members  are reminded that the ATC is not an issue campaigning body. Rather it is an association of trade members who seek to bring standardisation and uniformity to the trade in matters of regulation, legislation and safety to enable its members to conduct responsible marketing to consumers and other interested parties. No  other aromatherapy trade association has ever attempted to do what the ATC set  out to do in terms of self-regulation. As the authoritative body for the aromatherapy essential oil trade and the appointed Code Administrators for the  industry, it is incumbent upon the ATC to uphold the law. The ATC now works  closely with the MCA and is able to influence matters relating to aromatherapy,  thus safeguarding the interests of individual practitioners. This includes reporting companies who are not complying with the law and are making medicinal claims.

This should be borne in mind when considering EOTA's reader survey on the use of the  word "Aromatherapy" in the current AQ journal and the comments made concerning this by the AQ Editor. EOTA recently approached the ATC for their support in  taking legal action against a large supermarket chain for the so-called misuse  of the word on a bath product. Their request was duly considered by the full Council who agreed that EOTA appear to have a point of issue in that the product  would not be regarded as an "aromatherapy" product in the sense the profession generally understands it. However, there is no suggestion that essential oils are being used and there may well be extracts within the formulation, albeit at  such a low percentage that the fragrance is not easily detectable - but that may  not make it illegal, The suppliers are making no medical or other illegal claims and are simply suggesting that if the product is put in the bath, the customer may like the smell and enjoy it, Aromatherapy can be regarded as a "therapy" with "aromas" in which case that is exactly what the company is trying to  portray.

It was the considered opinion of the ATC that while such a product may not fit into all our concepts of aromatherapy, the legal ground for such an issue would be  dubious and uncertain since the word "aromatherapy" is currently not defined in  law. Legal opinion had advised that the company concerned was likely to sue for defamation of character. It was therefore the unanimous decision of the Council - which includes many authoritative people in the aromatherapy trade - that they would not wish to be part of the sort of action EOTA is proposing because it  could bring the trade into disrepute at a time when we do not need it. The ATC felt that their efforts would be better concentrated in continuing to promote  genuine standards within the industry by education, PR and widening the membership rather than attempting to attack large names on dubious legal grounds.

The  matter was further compounded by the fact that EOTA had ceased trading when the  ATC was set up and the majority - if not all - of the old EOTA members joined the ATC when it was formed in 1993, EOTA then became active in late 1995 but recently declined to supply a list of their members to the ATC. It was therefore  not known with whom or what the ATC was dealing.

Having been rebuffed by the ATC, EOTA has now taken the matter up through AQ. It should be said that the AQ did not obtain the ATC's comments prior to publishing their  editorial or their articles on the definition of "aromatherapy" or of "essential oils", If they had, they would have been informed that the ATC's definitions  were solely for Trading Standards officers - who know nothing of aromatherapy -  to help them identify the difference between an essential oil, an aromatherapy oil and an absolute. They are for no other purpose. Trading Standards have their own public analysts and they have the necessary data to say whether products are adulterated or meet the necessary Trade Descriptions Act. They also have their own definitions as specified by Guenther etc. Trading Standards were perfectly happy with the definitions and have not requested the ATC to elaborate further on them. Indeed TS officers regularly consult the ATC on many issues of  aromatherapy products.

The  voluntary safety and quality control of the essential oils put on sale has  always been at the heart of ATC policy since its inception. To infer that ATC members are more concerned with profit than quality is untrue and possibly  libellous. If AQ is to set itself up as an authority on the essential oil industry, then it should seek the views of the experts who know the true  position and not those of an uninformed minority. It brings into question the whole validity of those who have worked so hard to regulate the industry at a  time when this is now bearing fruit.

Any  responsible journal should surely familiarise itself with the facts before going  to press. "
 

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