June 1999 Newsletter

As this will be the  first Newsletter that some have received for a little while, and others perhaps for the first time, I thought that I would make an early start.  But, where to  start?

I suppose that the single, most important thing with which we as an industry have had to grapple  over the last six months is the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) Consultation Letter: MLX 249 - Proposed Amendments to The Medicines for Human Use  (Marketing Authorisations etc.) Regulations 1994.  These proposed amendments  will give draconian, unchallengeable powers to categorise borderline products as  medicines which could affect adversely the current availability of essential oils, aromatherapy products and herbs.

I wrote immediately  to our local Members of Parliament and European Parliament, the Deputy Prime  Minister and the MCA.  I received from all letters of reassurance: I want to  reassure you and Mr. Wells that the proposals would not change the status of  essential oils wrote The Baroness Hayman to Shaun Woodward, our local MP.  I  was heartened.

And yet, little  more than a month later, I am reading less than encouraging news in the May edition of Natural Products News.  Despite 740 letters from MPs,  over 700 letters from concerned organisations, and over 2000 letters from members of the public, it is thought that the MCA intends to proceed with MLX  249 unchanged.  According to Health Food industry sources, the MCA plans to present the MLX 249 legislation to Parliament in the form of a Statutory  Instrument in late May or early June.  This could be dangerous as, given the  size of the government's majority, it is unlikely to be debated.  Whilst it may  not indeed change the status of essential oils, I believe that it behoves us all to impress upon every MP, at a local level, that we are concerned about the activities of the Medicines Control Agency.  We may escape unscathed this time  around, but what about the next?  I understand that Petition forms have been mailed to every known health store in the country.

Monastic Eucalyptus.

Last month I touched briefly upon three less well known Eucalypts - E. viridis R. Baker,        E. macarthurii Deane & Maiden and E. goniocalyx F. Muell. ex Miq. - from Uganda which hopefully will become regulars on our  list.  This month, Tim has urged me to write a few words about a eucalyptus oil  (E. camaldulensis) that we have received recently from Corsica.  Almost  all eucalypts are indigenous to Australia where they constitute 75% of tree  flora, but they were introduced to almost every suitable growing country in the world as "fever" trees to rid the globe of malaria.  One of the great medical finds of the nineteenth century, the eucalyptus was extolled by physicians throughout the world as nature's answer to life-threatening fevers, dysentery and other ills.

One of the earliest  records of cultivation outside Australia is from Italy where, in 1803, a  eucalypt growing at the Camaldules Monastery in Naples was named E. camaldulensis Dehnh. and is the famous River Red Gum, immortalized by Australian poets and painters.  The beautiful spreading trunks of the central Australian river red gums offer a powerful antiseptic, called purra undapa by thePintubi Aboriginals.  The dark inner bark is boiled "until the red gum is coming out".  When it is cool it is used as a rubbing medicine for  sores such as those from scabies.  For diarrhoea in children the heartwood is  boiled in water and the water then drunk.  Surgeon-General John White, of the First Fleet to Australia, observed [of eucalypts] that at the heart they are  full of veins through which an amazing quality of an astringent red gum issues: this was very serviceable in an obstinate dysentery that raged at our first  landing.  Subsequently, gum of E. camaldulensis was exported to  Britain as a medicine.

There appear to be two chemotypes of Australian E. camaldulensis which is probably why  Ernest Guenther lists E. rostrata Schlecht and E. rostrata Schlecht var. borealis Baker & Smith as synonymous.  One is rich in 1,8-cineole (>84%) while the other is rich in sesquiterpenes, with bicyclogermacrene the major member (14%).  Interestingly, Guenther also makes reference to Gandini, Ann. chim. applicata Vol. 26 [1936], 344 for  composition of an Italian oil.  As I have been unable to obtain this reference,  I can barely wait for the results of our own GC/MS analysis of the Corsican E. camaldulensis oil.

Whilst some  aromatherapy literature makes the chemical distinction between the chemotypes it  fails to state to which chemotype the therapeutic applications are attributed.   Both are fairly complex oils: CT. 1,8-cineole contains 47 compounds in  amounts greater than 0.01% and CT. bicyclogermacrene has 58 that have  been detected.  Therefore, I can only tell you what the books say: cuts,  sores, ulcers, asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, coughs, throat and mouth infections,  arthritis, muscle aches and pains, rheumatism, injuries and sprains, cold,  fever, flu, infections, cystitis, leukorrhoea, headache, nervous exhaustion,  neuralgia and sciatica.  Phew!  No wonder eucalyptus was considered one of  the medical finds of the nineteenth century! 

Taxonomic  Sleuthing.

Accompanying my  sample of E. camaldulensis was a bottle of Pinus laricio.  What?   None of my usual reference books made mention of it and yet the aromatherapy  literature suggested that it might be useful for prostatitis and prostate congestion.  Whenever confronted with such a conundrum I turn invariably to L'aromatherapie exactement by Franchomme and Penoel .  Why?  In my experience, many contemporary writers about aromatherapy depend heavily upon these two gentlemen for their more esoteric references.  Sure  enough there it was on page 388, but why no author's name?  I suspected that it  might only be a proprietary term.  It was their reference to "larichiol" which had me reaching for Harborne & Baxter's Phytochemical Dictionary.   Allaby's Plant Sciences had yielded nothing.  The nearest I could  get to it was the phenylpropanoid laricin.  Phytochemists will know  undoubtedly that phenylpropanoids are naturally occurring phenolic compounds  which have an aromatic ring to which a three-carbon side chain is attached!  A precursor of lignin biosynthesis in plants, laricin occurs in Larix spp.  This  was a clue.  However, until I have a GC/MS analysis in my hand, what follows is pure supposition on my part but, hopefully, interesting all the  same.

Larch!  Originally Pinus larix D.C. but now more commonly referred to in  modern textbooks as Larix decidua Miller, 'Larix' was the name given to Pine resin in the time of Dioscorides and the term has been kept for these lofty trees.  Mrs. Grieve, in her Modern Herbal, mentions that the exudation  which flows from the trunk is perfectly clear and needs no further preparation than straining through a coarse hair-cloth to free it from impurities.  It was  used in medicine and for making several kinds of varnish.  In commerce it was  known as 'Venice Turpentine', being formerly exported exclusively from Venice.   As a topical application it was found useful in chronic eczema and psoriasis.  Its chief official use was as a stimulant expectorant in chronic bronchitis, with an action similar to that of oil of turpentine.  Still, if not barking up the wrong tree (!), I am probably considering the wrong part of the tree as the  source of this particular oil.  The aromatherapy literature mentions "needles".   Closer examination of Franchomme and Penoel's brief summary of the oil's  chemical composition prompted me to consult a paper by Y. Holm and R. Hiltunen ( Variation and inheritance of monoterpenes in Larix species.  Flavour and Fragrance Journal (1997) 12 (5) 355-357).

Using GC/MS, Holm  and Hiltunen examined the terpene compositions of the hydrodistilled leaf oils  of a number of Larix species.  Altogether, 38 components were identified,  which represented >95% of the total oil composition.  The qualitative composition of the volatile oil was very similar in all the Larix species  studied.  The major components studied were (-)- and (+)-alpha-pinene, (-)-beta-pinene, myrcene and (+)-3-carene.  The relative amounts of the  monoterpene hydrocarbons varied considerably both within and between the  species, 3 distinct groups being identified: low 3-carene/high myrcene (Larix  leptolepis type); high 3-carene and (+)- and (-)-alpha-pinene (Larix  decidua type); and high 3-carene (Larix siberica type).  Thus,  monoterpene compositions of Larix leaf oils can be used as chemotaxonomic markers.  Franchomme and Penoel mention high alpha-pinene for their Pinus  laricio and so it could indeed be Larix decidua Miller.  I do enjoy taxonomic detective work!

Daffy-down-dilly, sane or silly?

As the last  daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus L.) of Spring droop sadly away for another year, I am always reminded of their contribution in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.  This progressive form of dementia, named after the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is caused by destruction of nerve cells deep in the cerebrum, particularly in the frontal and occipital lobes.

Culpeper mentions  that....the roots [of daffodils] boiled and taken in posset drink cause vomiting and are used with good success at the appearance of approaching  agues, especially the tertian ague, which is frequently caught in the springtime.  Emetic undoubtedly they are but, and although serious  intoxications are rare (almost always due to a confusion between the bulbs of  edible Liliaceae such as onions and shallots and those of the garden Amaryllidaceae), researchers caution that merely chewing on the stem is  enough to cause a chill, shivering, and a tendency to faint.  The most common  toxic principle is lycorine, formerly called narcissine, which, at low doses, causes salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea and, at higher doses,  paralysis and collapse.  Lycorine is one of the isoquinoline alkaloids.  The  biosynthesis of these alkaloids is rather complex but, in simple terms, it results from an intramolecular oxidative coupling within a precursor.  Where the  coupling occurs determines whether the structural type is galanthamine, lycorine, or else haemanthamine or crinine, respectively.  The alkaloids are  mostly concentrated in the bulbs.  It should also be noted that much more  commonly observed is the dermatitis due to the handling of the bulbs caused by the needle-sharp crystals of calcium oxalate very often found in their tissues.   It might be as well to wear gloves when you are next potting up your daff's or  similar.

I was first alerted  to the potential of galanthamine when it was reported that, extracted on an industrial scale from snowdrops (Leucojum aestivum L.), it is used in Bulgaria and Russia for the treatment of various nervous disorders  and in anaesthesiology.  Galanthamine is a cholinesterase inhibitor and an analgesic.  Cholinesterase is an enzyme that hydrolyses acetylcholine into choline and acetic acid, at nerve endings.  Choline is part of the Vitamin B complex and is known to be a growth factor.  I know that an excess of acetylcholine in the body can cause severe muscular weakness and respiratory depression, but I know nothing of its function, if at all, in Alzheimer's disease.  Still, it is as a cholinesterase inhibitor that galanthamine is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's.  No doubt someone will explain to me how it  works!

The Home of  Analgesia.

Meanwhile, as  demand for galanthamine grew, the limited availability of snowdrops in Eastern  Europe meant that it was necessary to find another source for the ingredient.  Natural chemistry research showed that the daffodil bulb, commonly available, would provide this.  Acres of these plants are now grown under contract in  England, Ireland and Holland for processing by Macfarlan Smith in Edinburgh.  A fascinating company, its history is full of interesting  references.  In 1780, two doctors, Thomas and Henry Smith, began opium extraction in Edinburgh and, from this, developed into analgesic suppliers,  producing morphine.  In 1847, chloroform was introduced, establishing Edinburgh as the world centre of analgesia.  Macfarlan, another doctor, was one of the first to use sterile dressings in 1860 and later, in 1869, came the introduction  of apomorphine (a powerful emitic).  Interestingly the respective businesses were not merged until 1963.  Today, Macfarlan Smith continues to produce a range  of controlled drugs under high security conditions.   

Aromatherapy and Alzheimer's.

Can aromatherapy assist Alzheimer's disease?  Whilst it cannot cure dementia, it does seem to  help.  Jane Buckle, in her Clinical Aromatherapy in Nursing,  mentions that smell and touch are powerful messengers, often penetrating the fog  of amnesia in a way in which words do not.  Case studies quoted in Shirley  Price's useful Aromatherapy for Health Professionals confirm this.  Which oils?  It has been suggested that pine, eucalyptus and peppermint can trigger conversation and memory and that lavender and geranium provoke thoughts  of cooking and plants ( Henry, J. 1993: Dementia. International  Journal of Aromatherapy 5, 27-29).

Bunion Cure?

I was asked the  other day if I knew where the Marigold Clinic was.  I did not.  Perhaps  somebody else does?  Years ago, when I attended my first ever Natural Health  Show (in fact it may have been the first Natural Health Show) with John Potter and Lorna Rappoport of Life Tree (I wonder what happened to them?), I am sure that one of the largest stands there was that of the Marigold  Clinic.  I recollect that an Indian doctor, who assured me at some length that he had been using marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) for  chilblains, bunions, and all foot problems for more than thirty years, was in charge.  At the time, I thought that his "potion" was very similar to that then  being marketed by Scholls.  Very orange!  Bear in mind that, having just returned from a decade overseas, I was not particularly up-to-speed with the burgeoning, British natural health industry.  Still, because my mother and aunt swore by the Scholl's product for their corns and chilblains, I was prepared to  believe every word that he told me.  However, is calendula any good for bunions?  My correspondent enquired.

A deformity of the head of the metatarsal bone at its junction with the big toe, a bunion is caused by the friction and pressure of shoes at this point which cause the bursa to  become inflamed and enlarged thus causing enlargement of the joint and lateral displacement of the big toe.  Being anti-inflammatory, and one of the most  versatile and important herbal medicines, I can see no reason why calendula would not be effective for the treatment of bunions.  Why not give it a go?  I  note that you can make a home tincture by using 50g of marigold petals to 500ml  70% alcohol (Vodka?); leave to stand for 14 days in a warm place; shake daily.  Filter.  Alternatively you could try the Herbalist's Friend of 1 part  Calendula Tincture to 4 parts Witch Hazel.  Failing that, St. John's Wort and Comfrey are highly regarded.  However, when all is said and done, my grandmother considered a slice of lemon over the bunion at night was the answer!

Oils by other  names. 

Mbaruti, Msasamlanda, Jikungo, and Mbuyu are four fixed oils for which I have been asked  during the past fortnight.  Too often, freshly returned from an overseas  holiday, a customer will request an oil with which she has been thrilled in some  far and distant land.  Perhaps not surprisingly the local purveyor has written the name down in his, or her, native language.  Initially when asked...Do you have 500ml of the, I'll spell it for you, MSASAMLANDA?...I am bewildered.  Do you have a trivial, or botanical, name?  No!  From what exotic location have you recently returned? I enquire.  Tanzania.  Aha!  A clue!  Swahili perhaps? 

I find the answer  in, of all places, John Woodruff's excellent Ingredients &  Formulary Handbook: Mexican Poppy (Argemone mexicana L.), Wild Borage (Trichodesma zeylanicum (Burm.f.) R. Br.), Oyster Nut (Telfairia pedata (Sm.) Hook.) and Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) respectively.  Each is used in Tanzania for skincare and they are  all rich in C18 fatty acids.  Wild Borage, or Wild Starflower, oil  contains alpha-linolenic (26.8%) and gamma-linolenic acid (5.5%) and is naturally antibacterial.  Not surprisingly, the oil is used in Tanzania as a wound dressing and for the treatment of dry skin conditions.        

The Baobab, or Monkey's Bread, grows throughout Africa and is reputed to have the thickest trunk and to be the longest-lived of any tree in the world.   It is known to achieve an age of up to 3000 years.  Growing to a height of about  16 metres, this massive tree has a disproportionately large, fibrous trunk with a smooth grey surface and stout, twisting branches which look much like roots.  The Bushmen of Southern Africa say that Gawe, the Great Spirit, gave all the animals a particular species of tree except the hyena.  He told the hyena that  he would not be given one unless he behaved properly and stopped stealing.  The hyena was angry and resolved not to change his ways.  The Great Spirit finally  gave him his last, tiny Baobab plant.  The hyena was not impressed and became angry and, in a fit of temper, planted the seedling upside-down (The Zambesi, River of the Gods).

The fruit of the baobab is contained in a greenish, hard, oval pod about 25cm long.  When cracked  open the pod reveals a number of bean-sized seeds embedded in fibre and a cream coloured powder known as "cream of tartar".  The traditional method of oil extraction is by pounding the seeds.  The oil thus produced is used as a rub to relieve aches, pains and rheumatism but, more especially, to treat skin  complaints such as eczema and psoriasis.

Oyster Nut, or Queme, is a perrenial, dioecious vine of enormous proportions.  When mature and loaded with gourds, it attains such a weight that it may smother and crush the tree supporting it.  The Oyster Nuts are borne in  the enormous gourds that weigh up to 12 kilos.  When ripe these fall to the  ground and split open, yielding an average of about 100 nuts per gourd.  The sweet, oil-rich nuts are used as a source of food and edible oil.  The kernel  has a high vitamin, fat (60%) and protein (27%) content and the Wasambar, Wapare and Wachagga tribes eat the nut immediately after childbirth as a puerperal  tonic for quick postnatal recovery and to increase milk flow.  It is also used  as a moisturiser to encourage suppleness of the skin.

Extracted by cold  pressing, the oil is a golden colour with a brownish fluorescence.  Some years ago, however, I was extremely surprised to see a sample of amber-coloured Queme oil change to bright ruby-red in front of my eyes.  Apparently oil from ground up nuts, which are then expelled through a screw press, is a clear ruby-red and changes to amber if chilled below ambient temperature.  My sample, having been  in the post, reacted in reverse when it was exposed to the office warmth.

The seed oil of Mexican Poppy, or Prickly Pear,is toxicand  when ingested in quantity will cause high tension glaucoma, dropsy, vomiting and anaemia.  However, in minute doses, it has been used for dysentery and other  intestinal disorders and as a purgative.  It possesses antibacterial properties  and has been used in the treatment of certain skin diseases.  The principal toxic compound is sanguinarine.  The oil may be rendered non-toxic by heating it to 250 C for 15 minutes.     

Dhatus & Doshas.

Over the months  several have kindly called to advise me of the role of Mustard Oil (considered severely irritant and hazardous for use in aromatherapy), from  the seeds of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czerniak.) I  imagine, in Ayurvedic Massage, but I remain little the wiser.  Therefore, it is  most propitious that Ian Barber, who will be discussing Successful Blending at our Open Day , has just dropped in with a most interesting book, Ayurvedic Massage by Harish Johari.  I quickly realise that I must sort my dhatus from my doshas if I am to understand anything!

Dhatus, I learn, are the seven constituents of the human body, responsible for maintaining the functions of the organs, systems, and vital parts of the physical being.  The strength that comes  from the dhatus gives the powers of tolerance, forbearance, and patience.  Doshas are the three body humours or temperaments.  These are vata (wind), pitta (bile) and kapha (mucus).  The doshas  constitute the chemical nature of all living organisms.  A harmonious balance of the three doshas is essential for the maintenance of physical and mental well-being. 

Mustard  Cures.

Checking the Oil and Dosha Chart I note that Mustard Oil is the primary oil for Kapha.  In Ayurveda, lymph is considered kaphic in nature.  The word kapha is usually translated as "mucus" or "phlegm", but its meaning also encompasses lymphatic fluid.  Considered unctuous, bitter, pungent, sharp, light, and heating, Mustard oil destroys diseases caused by by vata and kapha; it increases pitta and body heat.  A wormicide and fungicide, it cures pain, swelling, and  wounds of all kinds.  Mustard oil also disinfects and, if used on cuts  immediately, stops bleeding.  It is readily absorbed when rubbed into the skin,  and provides relief for nerves and stiff muscles and ligaments.  It removes stiffness in muscles caused by by fever and bronchitis, cleanses the blood, and  opens the pores.  Mustard oil extracted from "yellow" mustard seeds (  ?Brassica hirta Moench.) can be applied to the eyes without harmful effects.  No other oil is as effective and harmless when applied to delicate  areas.

I find this a most interesting, and illuminating, comment but I do wish that the author mentioned botanical names.

Does colour  matter?

I have assumed B. hirta to be the source of "yellow" mustard seeds, although it is better known as "white" mustard, grown mainly in Sweden and Canada.  Therefore, the author may be referring to a group of oleaginous types belonging to the  species B. campestris L., containing the rapeseed produced mainly in Canada, and the Asiatic forms (toria, yellow-seeded sarson, brown-seeded sarson) grown in India, Pakistan and China.  Still, apart from the white mustard which is genetically less related, all these species are closely linked among each  other.

He does, however,  make the point that people with very sensitive skin may feel irritation when  using mustard oil, which may be related to using a poor quality oil.  He  mentions that most of the oil sold today is made from "black" mustard seeds (Brassica nigra Koch), which is acceptable for massage provided it  is of high quality.  How do we judge quality?  He suggests that we always look for cold-pressed, fresh oil.  However it might be as well, if you can, to  seek that oil which has been extracted from verifiable "yellow" mustard seeds  and pressed through a wooden mill. Still if, as he says, prolonged and regular  use of mustard oil on the hair really prevents it from falling out and graying, I might be tempted whatever the colour of the seeds!

June 1999

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