I rarely rave about  our own Open Days but, on this occasion judging from your letters, last Sunday's  event  seems to have been a bit of a hit....The opportunity to listen and  learn from speakers as Ian Barber, Joanna Hoare and Gabriel Mojay is such a joy  - and there is, of course, the added luxury of meeting with others who are interested in essential oils.  These precious moments to share thoughts, ideas  and experiences with "old" friends as well as new ones are, sadly, all too rare and have to be savoured....Thanks Sue, I could not have said it better  myself.  We enjoy thoroughly hosting these annual events and derive tremendous  energy from the warmth of your reception.  As Gabriel said, we do think of you all as one, big family.  Mungu, the Ridgeback, was at a complete loss on Monday  morning haplessly wandering about waiting for you all to return!

Sadly, this year,  we had to decline many of you as we simply do not have sufficient space.  As it is we managed to squeeze in seventy-six of you; I do hope that you got enough to  eat as we had only catered for seventy!  Several asked if we were going to hold another "Day" later in the year.  I have to admit that I had preliminarily  planned to do something in September but then discovered that I was away for  most of the month, as Justin puts it, playing with my toys.  There is just no  respect these days!  October perhaps?

Ideally I should like to introduce you to Sal Battaglia and John Kerr and therefore  today, when John suggested that he and Sal would be happy to pop over to England after the First Bi-annual Canadian International Congress of Aromatherapy (C.I.C.A.) to be held on October 30th, 31st and November 1st, I jumped  at the opportunity to get something together on the first available weekend thereafter.  Suddenly I realised that it was rather late in the year and the  nights will have drawn in.  Not wishing to subject you to arduous, night driving, I think that I shall try to organize a venue in Oxford, which has  excellent transport facilities.  Therefore make a note in your diary for A  Day with John and Sal on Sunday, 7th November,1999.  Once I have everything together, I shall let you know where and when.

More on  Marigold.

Back in free circulation, I could never have imagined the incredible response to my enquiry  for information about the Marigold Clinic.  Letters, faxes and e-mails rained in on me from every direction.  Thank you all so very much.  I am particularly indebted to Elizabeth Christie who sent me a staggering amount of most interesting information about the "mighty" marigold.  The distinguished author Barbara Griggs maintains that...If I had to  choose just one herbal remedy to take to a desert island, it would have to be calendula.  In fact the roll-call of marigold advocates reads like a Who's Who of herbalism and homeopathy. However it seems that I may have  been labouring under a false impression since I first met, whom I know now to be, Dr. Taufiq Khan.  According to an article by Barbara in Country  Living, already aware of the healing powers of Calendula officinalis L. Dr. Khan, in 1979, was prompted to study another variety of marigold: Tagetes,  the bright orange or lime yellow African marigold, widely used in traditional  Mexican and Indian medicine.  He found that its therapeutic powers were as striking as calendula's but quite different.  This raises an interesting  question, as Elizabeth points out in her note to me, which tagetes?

Which  Marigold?

Let us look at the options.  Of these strong-scented annuals of the Compositae family, Tagetes erecta L. has the largest flower heads (5 to 10cm across).   Generally regarded to be natives of Mexico (T. erecta and T. patula L.) and South America (T. minuta L.: synonymous with T. glandulifera Shrank), they are cultivated or found growing wild  worldwide, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Australia (T. minuta) and Europe, India and China (T. erecta and T. patula).  For  those who prefer trivial names, T. erecta is called variously African,  Aztec and Big marigold; T. patula French marigold; and T. minuta Mexican marigold.  Often, however, all are simply called marigold!  Still, as the article mentions African marigold, I shall assume that Dr. Khan was studying T. erecta.

The oil is obtained  by steam distillation of the aboveground parts of all three species, especially T. minuta.  The oil from T. minuta contains tagetones, ocimene,  b-myrcene, linalool, limonene, a- and b-pinenes, carvone, citral, camphene, and salicylaldehyde as major components, with phenylethanol, valeric acid,  ocimenones, geraniol, p-cymene, sabinene, cineole, linalyl acetate, linalool monoxide, aromadendrene, and a-terpineol, among others also present.  The volatile oils from T. erecta and T. patula have been reported to  have compositions similar to that from T. minuta (Y.N. Gupta and K.S.  Bhandari, Indian Perfum., 18(2), 29, 1974 and previously in 17(2), 24, 1973).  The flower petals of T. erecta contain mainly  carotenoids, especially lutein and its esters, as the major pigments; also a-terthienyl (T. Phillip and J.W. Berry, J. Food Sci., 40, 1089, 1975 and R.A. Bye, Jr., Econ. Bot. 40(1), 103,  1986).  Bye also mentions that oil of T. minuta has tranquilizing, hypotensive, bronchodilatory, spasmolytic, and antiinflammatory properties.  The  same author says that patulin, derived from T. patula, has been shown to reduce capillary permeability and is antispasmodic and hypertensive.

Traditionally, flower heads and foliage of T. erecta are used as an anthelmintic and an  emmenagogue and in treating colic.  The herb of T. minuta is used as a  stomachic, carminative, diuretic, and diaphoretic and, in China, the flowerheads  of T. erecta are used in treating whooping cough, coughs, colds, mumps, mastitis, and sore eyes, usually as a decoction.  The leaves are used in treating sores and ulcers.  The whole herb of T. patula is used in coughs and dysentery, taken internally in the form of a powder or a decoction.  In  India the juice of the leaves of T. erecta is used as a treatment for eczema and, in Peru, the aerial parts of T. minuta are used in decoction  as a digestive, vermifuge, cholagogue, sedative in gastric pain, and antiabortifacient (V. De Feo, Fitoterapia, 63, 5, 417, 1992).  Nowhere could I find a reference to its use in podiatry.  Still, back to Dr. Khan.

Marigold Therapy.

He first used his  tagetes treatment on an elderly man with a deep, painful corn on the ball of his  foot, whom he had been giving his standard treatment for a number of years.  Within weeks, the plug of dead skin disapppeared.  Marigold Therapy was launched.  Four years later, in a report on progress in chiropody, the Daily Mirror mistakenly added bunions to the list of problems for which Marigold Therapy was effective.  Khan's patients with bunions began  demanding the treatment, and he was induced to try it.  It worked!  Today, after being subjected to a number of rigorous studies at British universities,  Marigold Therapy is even available on the NHS.  Also, thanks to Iris Mathers , I can advise you that Dr. Khan's Marigold Products are available by mail order from Marigold Footcare Ltd., 134 Montrose Avenue, Edgware, HA8 0DR.   Hopefully, this has answered most questions.

Argan  Oil.

The other day I was  asked by a researcher for a national Sunday newspaper if we stocked Argan oil.  Why?  I am not quite sure but, invariably, it means that the Editor of the Health Section has stumbled across something potentially significant.  As it  happens we do have some, but I have never researched it in any depth.  In fact, my brief fact sheet on Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, compiled some months  ago, quickly revealed that I was obviously far more interested at the time in another member of the Sideroxyleae genus of the Sapotaceae family: Sideroxylon sessiliflorum (Poiret) Aubrev. from Mauritius.  This plant is  very rarely regenerating and is supposed to have been dispersed by dodos extinct for some 300 years, so turkeys are force-fed with fruit and germination is enhanced.  No wonder I was fascinated!

Argan is a very  unusual thorny tree almost exclusively native to the geographical area of south  west Morocco.  The Argan tree is unusual even within its own plant family.  Within the 1100 or so Sapotaceae species, Argan is not only an arid zone  plant in contrast to the other Sapotaceae species which are trees and  shrubs of the wet tropics but it is also the only species occurring north of the Sahara desert.  The fruits of the Argan can take up to one year to ripen and are lime-green when unripe and bright yellow in full mature state.  Most of the  fruit consists of a very hard nut containing up to three seeds.  A thin, fleshy  and hard to peel layer surrounds the nut.  The seeds contain a valuable edible  oil rich in essential fatty acids.

Argan oil is manufactured traditionally on a small scale.  The fruits are collected and dried  in the sun.  The fruity flesh is peeled off and used as a cattle feed.  This  exceptionally laborious work further involves breaking the nuts manually,  sorting and roasting the seeds, crushing and grinding the almond-like seeds  between specially shaped stones, and stirring the mixture with cold water.  Hot water is then poured on the paste and the oil comes to the surface and is  skimmed off.  It is estimated that every litre of Argan oil produced requires ten hours work.  The yield is rather small: 100 kilos of fruit yields  approximately 2 litres of oil.

I remember years ago, when driving between Marrakech and Agadir, being pestered by small Berber boys on the road-side offering bottles of oil for sale.  I had assumed that it  was olive oil, which is the main edible oil of Morocco, but in all likelihood it was Argan oil.  It is darker than olive oil and has a rich flavour and a smell  like peanut butter.  More than 80% of its fatty acids are the unsaturated acids oleic and linoleic.  Argan is markedly richer in linoleic acid than olive oil. In folk medicine, Argan oil is highly regarded for  its reinvigorating effects and as an aphrodisiac.  Moroccan women have been  using it for centuries as a skincare product.  It prevents the skin from drying out.  These skin protecting properties are used in the local treatment of skin problems and in dermatological creams and medicines (M. Boukhobza, N.  Pichon-Prum; L'Arganier, ressource economique et medicinale pour le Maroc. Phytotherapy, Vol. 27, pp. 21-26, 1988).  Argan oil is also used for the treatment of acne, skin allergies, chicken pox and  burns.

Tocopherols.

Argan oil is unusually rich in tocopherols: 620mg/kg (olive oil: 320mg/kg).  Vitamin E, or a-tocopherol, makes up 69% of the total tocopherols (the others are b-, g- and d-tocopherol).  Tocopherols are important because of their antioxidant actions  and free radical scavenger effects.  Latest research shows a positive effect of  antioxidants, e.g. Vitamin E, on the progress of Parkinson's Disease (The Rotterdam Study: Dietary Antioxidants and Parkinson's Disease. Arch.  Neurol. Vol. 54, pp. 762-765, 1997).  Also, there is evidence that tocopherols strengthen the immune system (Peter Schleicher; Grundzuge der  Immundiagnostik und therapie, Hippokrates Verlag Stuttgart, 1997).  Undoubtedly it is the presence of these antioxidants which explains the oil's  reputation for skin protection and healing.  They are also responsible for the oil's good storage stability and lack of ageing.

Schottenol and Spinasterol.

However it is the  phytosterol fraction of Argan oil which is probably its most interesting  feature.  It is believed that the phytosterols in Argan oil are unique in their combination: there are no other vegetable oils with a comparable composition.  Argan oil contains the extremely interesting D-7-stigmasterols which are relatively rare among the plant sterols.  The common D-5-sterols are not  present.  The D-7-sterols are schottenol and alpha-spinasterol.  Schottenol is the main sterol found in Senita  cactus (Pachycereus schottii (Engelm.) D. Hunt:

synonymous with Lophocereus schottii), whose extract is used in Mexico as an effective  anticancer agent.  According to one report (M. Arishawa et al.; Plant  anticancer agent XXXVI, Schottenol glucoside from Baccharis coridifolia and Ipomopsis aggregata; Planta Med., Vol. 6, pp. 544-45, no  date given) schottenol, in the form of glucosides, is believed to have anti-tumour effects.  Alpha-spinasterol is suggested to have cell stimulation  activity.

And.......

Triterpenoids found  in the unsaponifiable fraction of Argan oil are also biologically active  substances.  The main ones are tirucallol, beta-amyrin, butyrospermol, and  lupeol which, according to Jim Duke (James A. Duke; Handbook of  Biologically Active Phytochemicals and theirActivities, CRC Press  Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 1992),are  cicatrizing, skin  protecting, sun protective and disinfectant respectively. A most interesting and  phyto-therapeutic oil: I should have looked at it sooner rather than ruminate on  the defecation habits of dodos and turkeys!   

Hydrolat Safety.

Recently I have had  a number of calls about the safety of hydrolats.  It seems that some suggest that they have a shelf-life of only four days and are potentially dangerous  because typhoid and cholera are endemic in the producer countries.  Never one to  rule out any suggestion, however alarmist, I determined to investigate further. 

However, first, I  should dearly like to know which are these producer countries that are rife with  pestilence: perhaps someone will let me know.  Our own hydrolats are produced in  France, filtered using 0.2m sterilizing filtration, packed in sterile bottles or  tins in an enclosure under controlled atmosphere (UV and air filtration).  We regularly monitor for bug counts, not only at the time of distillation but subsequently.  Thus far we have detected no significant contamination from exposure to an uncontrolled atmosphere.  Still, let us ask the producer's pharmacist.....

For optimum  conservation, keep the hydrolat in a closed and full container, in a dark room,  at 10 to 15ºC.  Respecting these conditions, the hydrolat can be preserved for 1  year or even more.  If there is a contamination risk, due to the above instructions being disregarded, it is possible to sterilely refilter the  hydrolat (and to add a preservative - which we do not do).  The  only risk of contamination is due to germs in the atmosphere.  To avoid this,  you strictly have to store according to the above instructions.  The product  is not dangerous at all; its bad use and storage could be dangerous.  I  can add little more.

Cryptic  Oil.

At last, I have  received the GC/MS analysis of our Corsican Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.  As I half-expected, its chemical composition bears little resemblance to the two chemotypes that I mentioned last month.  High in  para-cymene (41.5%), it also contains spathulenol (9.9%) and cuminaldehyde  (2.5%), which probably gives it its characteristic cumin-like odour.  However it  was the presence of the C₉ compound cryptone, which can  occur in plant oils along with its obvious parent beta-phellandrene, that caught  my eye. 

Rattling around in the back of my mind was something that I had read about "Cryptic" Oils.  I  searched high and low for the reference.  Unlike the rest of the office, who retain data on their computers, I cling grimly to my old-fashioned piles of  papers.  I was like Mungu digging for a bone.  Bingo!  Scentsitivity, Vol. 8, No. 4 - Winter 1998-1999.  "Cryptic Oils" by Dr. Robert Pappas.  Robert is a chemist/perfumer who owns and operates Applied Essential Oil Research, an analytical testing  laboratory in South Bend, Indiana.  He is also a Principal Tutor with the Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy, Tampa, Florida and co-author, with Sylla Sheppard-Hanger, of the correspondence course Chemistry of Essential Oils and  Principles of Perfumery now offered by the Institute.  Although strictly a  competitor to my own analytical company, Analytical Intelligence,  I regard Robert as a fine analyst and one from whom I can learn.  He is a true  enthusiast.

He mentions that cryptone is rarely occurring and only occurs to any appreciable degree in about four essential oils, all of which are eucalyptus species: Eucalyptus torelliana F. Muell. (9.22%), E. dealbata Cunn. (8.5%), E. polyanthemos Schau.(8.1%), and E. polybractea Baker (8.07%).  He  admits readily that he has not personally seen samples of the first three oils  (nor have I) but is going by reference reports alone, which he lists.  I have  read the same reports myself and would only mention that they refer to oils from  plants growing outside Australia.  I mention this only because I have the  advantage of GC/MS analyses of oils from Australian grown E. polyanthemos and E. polybractea and neither contain cryptone.

However I may be missing something because years ago Baker and Smith in their Research on  the Eucalypts and Their Essential Oils used the term "aromadendral" to denote a mixture of high-boiling carbonyl constituents occuring together in  certain eucalyptus oils, usually in association with para-cymene.  Two years  later, in 1922, Penfold showed (J. Chem. Soc. 121, 266) that  "aromadendral" consisted of three aldehydes, viz. cuminal, phellandral and cryptal. Penfold's specimen of cryptal, prepared from the oil of E. hemiphloia F.v.M. (?E. moluccana Roxb.), was investigated by Penfold  and Simonsen who concluded that it had the structure 4-isopropyl-2-cyclohexen-1-al.  The same authors, in a re-examination of this  compound, isolated from the oil of E. cneorifolia DC, showed it to be the  nine carbon atom ketone, l-4-isopropyl- 2-cyclohexen-1-one.  These observations were confirmed by Berry, Macbeth and Swanson in 1937 (J. Chem. Soc. 139, 986) who proved the presence of this ketone, now termed "cryptone" in the oils E. polybractea, E. hemiphloia and E. cneorifolia.  No evidence for the existence of cryptal was  found.

Robert's interest  in cryptone was first aroused by Sylla Sheppard-Hanger who had pointed out an unusual tree in her neighbourhood in Tampa, Florida. Not knowing what it was, he  sent a leaf sample to Ken Hill, senior botanist at the National Herbarium of New  South Wales, for positive identification.  It was E. camaldulensis.   GC/MS analysis of the oil revealed a whopping 17% cryptone, nearly double the  maximum literature reported percentage of this component.  Interestingly our own  oil is not as high (8%), but is it not fascinating to find this "cryptic" oil in  such diverse places as Florida and Corsica?

Robert mentions  that aromatherapeutic applications of this oil would make for an interesting  investigation as some aromatherapists have attributed the cryptone oils, such as E. polybractea, as being very spiritual and useful in enhancing psychic  phenomena like past life regression.  Switching to a more scientific bias, he  mentions that the relatively high level of spathulenol suggests that the oil  might be a good insect repellent/insecticide since this component is known to have pronounced insecticidal properties (Hubert, T.D., Weimer, D.F., Phytochemistry 24, 1197, 1985).  I much look forward to reading the results of his further research.

Taxonomic  Jungle.

Nick Boyes kindly e-mailed me to advise that W.J. Bean Trees & Shrubs Hardy in  the British Isles lists Pinus nigra var. maritima (Ait.) Melville as the correct name for Corsican Pine.  This was in response to my piece on Larch last month.  Also listed are Pinus laricio Poir, P. nigra subsp.laricio (Poir) Maire and P. laricio var.corsicana Loud.  Well there you have it: it is most encouraging  to know that someone is keeping an eye on my taxonomic sleuthing!  I can only  add that the GC/MS analysis revealed that our Pinus laricio is indeed  high in alpha-pinene (70.5%) and contains 3-carene (3.6%), beta-pinene (3.13%), limonene (4.32%) and beta-phellandrene (6.28%) amongst its other components.

Alopecia and Aromatherapy.

It is always refreshing to read reports of controlled trials involving aromatherapy.   Therefore I devoured eagerly the results of a recent clinical study ( Hay, I.C.; Jamieson, M.; Ormerod, A.D. Randomized trial of aromatherapy:  successful treatment for alopecia areata.  Archives of  Dermatology  (1998) 134(11)1349-1352). 

To investigate the efficacy of aromatherapy in the treatment of patients with alopecia areata, a  randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 7 month's duration, with follow-up  at 3 and 7 months was conducted in the Dermatology outpatient department of  Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.  Eighty-six patients diagnosed as having alopecia areata were randomized into two groups.  The active group massaged essential oils (a combination of thyme, Thymus vulgaris; rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis; lavender, Lavandula angustifolia; and cedarwood, Cedrus atlantica) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) into their scalp daily.  The control group used only carrier oils for their  daily massage.  Treatment success was evaluated on sequential photographs by dermatologists, independently.  Similarly, the degree of improvement was  measured by 2 methods: a 6-point scale and computerized analysis of traced areas  of alopecia. 

Nineteen (44%) of  43 patients in the active group showed improvement compared with 6 (15%) of 41  patients in the control group.  An alopecia scale was applied by blinded observers on sequential photographs and was shown to be reproducible with good interobserver agreement.  The degree of improvement on photographic assessment  was significant.  Demographic analysis showed that the 2 groups were well matched for prognostic factors.  The results show aromatherapy to be a  safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata.  Treatment with these essential oils was significantly more effective than treatment with the carrier oil alone.

Down on the  Farm.

It is always good  to welcome Dr. Jane Collins here, as we did on our Open Day.  Jane and  her dedicated team of experts have worked extremely hard to bring together the  practicalities of aromatic plant growing, distillation, and analysis in a single location.  Jane is the Agricultural Director of the on-farm Medicinal and  Aromatic Plant Research Unit at Lydiate, Merseyside. 

For the first time in the history of UK agriculture, Healthcare Professionals are invited to this Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Farm to witness the growing crops, to learn about traditional and organic systems of farming, to see the extraction of the oils  and watch an oil analysis.  Each day, all the experts involved will be on the farm to give talks, elucidate complex processes and unravel the mysteries of essential oil production.  For each particular day, the focus will be on one  specific plant species and topics will relate to botanical authentication, the history of medicinal uses, biochemical pathways related to oil production, sites of oil synthesis and accumulation, processes involved in crop cultivation and  harvesting, extraction methods, analysis results and quality control.  In fact the whole caboodle!

For £63.95  (including lunch), it strikes me as cheap for such an educational day, for  which a Certificate of Attendance will be given.  Kicking off with Chamomile  Day on Saturday, 3rd July, to be followed by Peppermint (24th July)  and Lavender (25th September) days, it promises to be a sell-out.  If you  are interested to learn more about how oils are produced and their particular therapeutic properties, why not Tel/Fax Jane on 01704 880 996 or call me for a Booking Form.

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