No sun - no moon!
No morn - no dusk - no proper time of day,
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!
Thomas Wood (1799-1845)

Writing this in mid-October, it is sobering to contemplate that within a fortnight Mr Wood could be correct. 

As it is, whilst Jan attends the IFPA 2nd Annual Conference in Bristol, I am sheltering from the blazing sun in the shade of trees which have barely lost a leaf, surrounded by the buzzing of bees, the twittering of birds, and the fluttering of butterflies. The church clock tolls four.

However a week earlier, whilst visiting Hilary Miflin’s enchanting herb garden high above Lac Leman, I had been shrouded in mist and rain and there was the year’s first snow dusting the nearby hills. In fact our week in France and Switzerland was memorable for the torrential rain that seemed to follow us for almost 3,000 miles - the poor Gordon-Keeble leaked like a colander.  There was brief respite in Provence, but Thor was never far away.  England’s not such a bad spot after all!

The nuptials in Geneva were quite a do, and provided a colourful spectacle for the city’s passing tourists.  I, however, was not too sure that I liked having a Canon or Nikon rammed up my nose every few seconds, and baulked visibly when asked to pose with a group of rather boisterous ladies from Arkansas. Nevertheless, just in time, good manners prevailed and I duly obliged, averting a public debagging (or so I feared!). The following day we headed for the Alps of Haute-Provence, and out of harm’s way.

Digne-les-Bains revisited.
The mountains around Barles, Bayons and Barrême have been, since the beginning of the last century, important zones of lavender cultivation in France and the town of Digne-les-Bains, to which the good and the great of the fragrance industry travel annually to enjoy five days and nights celebration of “la petite fleur bleue odorante de Haute-Provence”, remains one of the centres of “la lavande”. Unfortunately we were a couple of months late for Le Corso de la Lavande, which  takes place during the first week of the August Festival, but this did not diminish our enjoyment of this fragrant spot.

Although we had visited Digne before, we had never toured its Botanic Gardens - perhaps because they lurk in a rather unprepossessing part of town and are poorly sign-posted. Due to the serious lack of rain, they were in a rather parlous state: sad, because they are packed with some most unusual aromatic plants. Hopefully a good dose of rain will revive them. Still, I enjoyed much watching the wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) frisk about the rock garden.

Musing on Moustiers.
We took time to leave behind the Verdon gorges and searing plateaus of Riez and Valensole to visit the charming village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Set between Draguignan, Castellane and Manosque, it appears at first a typical tourist trap, with sundry small shops, pavement restaurants, and garish shutters. However a peek behind the facade reveals olive groves, houses with gardens in bloom, mysterious alleyways, finely carved doors, and attractive fountains. The spring, which encouraged the building of the first monasteries, still pours forth throughout the year under the Notre-Dame bridge, with the sanctuary of Our Lady of Beauvoir in the background.

During the Middle Ages pilgrims flocked from far away to Moustiers, encouraged to do so by the high clergy.  In 1335 Pope Clement VI conferred his “favours and moral support” upon these pilgrimages: “numerous and very obvious” miracles increasingly occurred in the chapel of Our Lady of Beauvoir, enhancing Moustier’s religious prestige. In fact Moustiers was the Lourdes of its time. Today Moustiers is probably better known for its earthenware.

In 1689 Louis XIV, wishing to bolster the economy and considering the taxes levied on silver and gold crockery insufficient, ordered that these fine metal items be melted down, and encouraged the use of earthenware crockery instead. 

Pierre Clérissy, a master crockery maker who lived in Moustiers, and whose father and grandfather had also been potters, was well placed to take advantage of this change in fashion. Moustiers quickly became a major centre of earthenware production. 

Nevertheless, popular though it was, Moustiers earthenware did not survive the Revolution.  Competition from English crockery and porcelain, together with the ruin of the nobility and the recession, reduced the demand for luxury earthenware. By 1874 all the kilns had closed, and by 1968 the local population had slumped from 3000 to 535.  
However, with the advent of the tourist boom, visitors were lured back by the attraction of the nearby gorges and trekked again along the long-forgotten pilgrimage routes. Life returned to Moustiers, and the kilns blazed once more.

Onwards to Vaucluse.
Giving Grasse a miss, because I find it somehow too commercial, we made a swift detour to Mougins to visit the motor museum.  Somewhat disappointing, the well-presented display contained little out of the ordinary but I did discover a long sought after book which made the trip worthwhile.

Using St-Rémy-de-Provence as our base, which is ideal for exploring the Alpilles countryside which supplies the plants for the traditional herboristeries, or herb shops, we sallied forth to explore Vaucluse, which takes its name from the Latin vallis clausa (closed valley). A land of vines and lavender, truffles and melons, which many know through the books of Peter Mayle, it is home to Mont Ventoux, the “Giant of Provence”, a limestone massif which climbs to 1909 metres (6,233 feet).

Until 1973 there was a motor race on the south side of Mont Ventoux, and a vintage car rally still takes place in Bédoin [no wonder I had to visit!]. For those more interested in bicycles than cars [or are there any interested in either?!], the great Tommy Simpson suffered a fatal heart attack here on the Tour de France in 1967.  Nevertheless, much as I might have wished to dally, reliving motoring glories of the past and searching for wild boar (Sus scrofa), eagle owl (Bubo bubo) and beaver (Castor fiber) in the Luberon Parc Naturel Régional, Jan reminded me that we were in this land of the Baron of Oppède and the Marquis de Sade to study “fine lavender”. 

She plonked me in front of a cinema screen at The Lavender Museum in Cabrières d’Avignon, where I watched the Lincéle family, producers and distillers of fine lavender for many years on the Vaucluse hills, explain exactly what’s what in the world of lavender.     

Pareto’s Law.
Although we stock many essential oils, I often wonder why!

Those familiar with Pareto’s law will probably know what I am getting at, because this empirical law describes a common tendency for a relatively small proportion of items to be really significant.  Broadly, the assumption is that 20% of items are responsible for 80% of the total business activity. This law is also known as the 80/20 rule, and has been called ‘the law of the trivial many and the critical few’. 

Of all the oils we sell, Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) and Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel) outsell the others times over - they are the critical few! Therefore it is a little surprising perhaps that I do not write more about them.


I suppose that I assume that everyone knows all there is to know about these two familiar oils, and years ago I did write an awful lot about Tea Tree.  My dissertations about Lavender have probably been more sporadic and disjointed.  However I now realise that, every year, there are many who are new to my monthly musings and do not wish to scroll back through a decade of my scribbling. Therefore, for them, let’s take another look at Lavender. 

Looking at Lavender.
Lavender is a member of the Labiatae family, which is synonymous with the Lamiaceae, and was originally endemic to Mediterranean countries but is now grown world-wide.

It is often stated that the English word lavender comes from the Latin lavare “to wash”, because the Roman Empire routinely used lavender in perfumed oils for bathing. However, it is not known whether lavender was brought to Britain by the Romans or by European traders. Sally Festing, in The Story of Lavender, makes a strong case that the word lavender most certainly did not come from lavare but from the earliest spelled form livendula - Latin for “livid” or “bluish”.

Unfortunately, in spite of over 2,500 years of recorded use, the origins of lavender are shrouded in mystery. Some varieties of the plant are thought to have been domesticated in
Arabia.  The plant may then have travelled with Greek traders of around 600BC to what are now the Iles d’Hyères, 10km off the Var coast in southern France, which were later occupied by the Romans and the Saracens, from whence it spread to France, Italy, and Spain. Whilst it is likely that some of these traders did make it to southern Britain, it is unlikely that lavender became established here until its introduction in the sixteenth century by French Hugenots, who probably came from southern France at a time when the religious wars were particularly violent.  There is evidence that lavender was grown at Hitchin as far back as 1568.

Quality lavender.
The species of lavender grown is generally Lavandula angustifolia Mill., which is referred to also as Lavandula officinalis Chaix and Lavandula vera DC.  This grows best at 700-1200 metres altitude. 

In France it is produced on poorer grade soils, principally on the Albion plateau, set between the east of Vaucluse, the south of the Drome, and the northern Alps of Haute-Provence.  It is a small plant and only a single flower grows on each stem.  It reproduces by seeding. It is also called “population lavender”. It takes 130 kilos of flowers to produce one litre of essential oil. In a good year, one hectare can produce 25 litres of essential oil.

In 1960, there was record production of 150 tonnes, however this progressively reduced until 1992 when production was 25 tonnes.  As there were few other suitable crops to produce in these remote mountainous areas, this reduction in production threatened depopulation. Thus French regional and state governments stepped in to reinvigorate the industry.

Lavender varieties were selected for improved vigour, essential oil yield and intensity of blue colour in the flowers (for dried flowers), and today these selected “clones” (e.g. Maillette, Matherone and Barthée), which yield more oil and can be grown at lower altitudes, are vegetatively propagated. They produce an oil which, although inferior to fine lavender, is a true, quality lavender.

Fine lavender on the other hand is still grown from seed and, as its name infers, is considered by the those in the know to be the best available in France.  In fact some lavender of the Haute-Provence has benefitted from an official quality mark, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), since 1981. However the AOC is only awarded to fine lavender that grows above 800 metres altitude in certain council areas of Vaucluse, Drome and Haute-Alpes. There is a maximum annual output of 25 tonnes of such oil.  Although fine lavender is produced elsewhere in the region it cannot be sold with the prestigious AOC mark, and therefore is a little cheaper.

French production in 1999 of quality lavender oil was 60 tonnes, of which 35 tonnes was “clonal” and 25 tonnes “fine”. Total world production of quality lavender oil is probably around 200 tonnes per annum.

Bastard Lavender.
World lavandin production, on the other hand, is in excess of 1,200 tonnes per annum, of which the south-east of France produces 85-95%.  Of all lavandin production, 75% is of the variety Grosso, 10% is Abrial, 8% is Super and 7% is Sumian.

Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel) is a hybrid cross of true lavender and spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia Medik).  It has been cultivated since the early 1920s and is grown in similar regions to lavender, but at lower altitudes and on a much greater scale. It is sterile and can be propagated only by using cuttings.  The French call it lavande batârde, or bastard lavender, because so many confuse it with true lavender. This is surprising because it is a tall plant with two branches and grows in large round clumps and has a much stronger smell, which is infinitely less subtle than that of true lavender.  Nevertheless I am sure that many who return from France, clutching their bottle of lavande, are still being sold lavandin as the real thing!

Lavender 40/42?
What is it?  It is a so-called commercial oil, and the 40/42 indicates that it contains 40 to 42 per cent of esters.

Toward the end of the 19th century the Schimmel laboratories developed new methods of analysis, basing the evaluation of lavender oil primarily upon its ester content (chiefly linalyl acetate).  This gave buyers a reliable method of testing the quality of the oil which, so far, had been judged merely by olfactory tests.

It could be shown that plant material growing in the highest altitudes, when distilled rapidly with direct steam, yielded oils containing as much as 52 and, in a few exceptional cases, even 60% of esters. The old method of distillation with boiling water would yield, with the same plant material, only about 40% of esters.  Although in the beginning this method of analysis was much disputed and fought by old-time distillers, it affected the structure of the entire French lavender industry. 

More and more the direct fire stills were discarded and replaced by steam stills where the steam was generated in a separate steam boiler.  The result was a general increase in the ester content of commercial oils and, I think, opened the way for a little skulduggery!

Adulteration.
Oil of lavender is frequently adulterated. This regrettable condition, provoked, if not forced, by unreasonable price demands on the part of buyers, is aggravated by the fact that skilful sophistication cannot be detected by mere routine chemical analysis because the adulterants used most commonly for this purpose, e.g., linalool and linalyl acetate, which can be obtained from much cheaper sources, occur in lavender oil as principal natural constituents.

Some may say that cutting lavender oil with lower priced lavandin cannot actually be considered an adulteration, since it lowers the ester content and, therefore, the quality, but without affecting the naturalness of the oil, but I don’t buy this argument.

The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), defines Oil of French Lavender, ISO 3515, as “The oil obtained by steam distillation of recently picked lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia P. Miller) either growing wild or cultivated in France”, which is fine as far as it goes, but then it states that the ester value, expressed as linalyl acetate should be  38% minimum and 58% maximum with a camphor content of 0.5% minimum, which surely permits a little rule-bending with the addition of linalyl acetate or other esters to reconstitute the original ester content of the lavender oil.

Therefore, whilst it is most important to submit lavender oil to a chemical analysis and to compare the ratio between the physical properties, it is vital to study the oil most carefully from an organoleptic point of view.  I am told that a real expert, familiar with the scent of true lavender, will usually have no difficulty in distinguishing a genuine oil from an adulterated oil. I’m no expert, but.........

Why don’t all lavenders smell the same?
Lavender oil is produced commercially by a number of countries: France, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Australia, U.K., etc.  The oils from each of these regions possess distinctive aroma characters, which range from the fine, flowery, fresh notes in the French oils to herbal, woody and camphoraceous with fatty notes in Australian oils.  Oils from Eastern Europe are more herbal, and are sometimes even compared to lavandins rather than lavenders. English oil is most distinctive and tends to have a less overpowering top note than French oil, but with a deceptive depth, vigour and persistence.

As all the lavender types originate from Lavandula angustifolia Mill., the possible reasons for origin aroma differences could include the locality differences in the climate, the hours of sunshine, the soil, water supply, but also, perhaps, stress from disease and insects. However, there could be another cause: namely that plants around the world originated not from pure, selected clones of true lavender but instead included hybrids.  Also, perhaps, the descendents of such hybrids are now the reason for the distinction in olfactory and analytical character.
 
Reflections.
After a few days high up on the sun-drenched plateaus and hills around Mont Ventoux it is easy to romanticise about “true”lavender, but true lavender calls for specific cultivation and growers find it hard to survive: in fact I doubt that revenues cover production costs. These experienced, knowledgeable and often creative producers would like to sell their products to discerning customers who are able to appreciate their authentic and quality products at their true value. I’m delighted to assist, and hope that you are too!

Aromatherapy Consortium revealed.
Whilst we were motoring through thunderous rain around Montélimar I had no idea of the considerable anguish that I was causing poor Carole Preen, the Group Administrator of the newly formed Aromatherapy Consortium, by having published the AOC’s demise before the AOC had had a chance to publish the facts themselves.  My most sincere apologies, but I did not realise that it was not universally known. However, on this occasion, I hope that she has had ample time to circulate the news before me!

This group (the Aromatherapy Consortium), which is the emerging aromatherapy regulatory body in the United Kingdom, has come together from different parts of the aromatherapy world and is working together for the benefit of the whole profession.  Up to this recent change of name the group had been known as the Aromatherapy Regulation Working Group (ARWG), but this new name change reflects the progression of the group and the formation of its official Terms of Reference and Constitution. It will set the criteria for the eventual regulatory body, which will be called the Aromatherapy Council, and it is envisaged that this work can be done and the Council formed very quickly.

The members of this new body at present are:

*Aromatherapy & Allied Practitioners Association (AAPA)
*Association of Medical Practitioners (AMA)
*Association of Natural Medicine (ANM)
*Association of Physical & Natural Therapists (APNT)
*English Societe de l’Institute Pierre Franchomme (ESIPF)
*Institute of Complementary Medicine (ICM)
*Guild of Complementary Practitioners (GCP)
*International Federation of Aromatherapists (IFA)
*International Holistic Aromatherapy Foundation (IHAF)
*ITEC Professionals
*Professional Association for Clinical Therapists (PACT/FHT)
*Renbardou Institute (RI)

The group also has the assistance of three distinguished lay members - Sandra Goodman, editor of Positive Health magazine; Liz Earle, the popular television presenter and author; and Peter Fenwick, a consultant neuropsychiatrist.

There are also several observers who are invited to meetings - Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT); City & Guilds Affinity; The Hairdressing And Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA); and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is represented by Angela Avis, who has been co-opted for her expertise.
  
What has happened to the Aromatherapy Organisations Council (AOC)?
According to the Press Release, this former industry body for the profession will now merge  into the newly named Consortium.  One of the main functions of the AOC has been to facilitate regulation. The development of a register, the production of a Business Plan for Regulation and the setting up of the Aromatherapy Regulation Working Group (ARWG) have all been achieved by the AOC and now at last the majority of the profession has come together to carry on the work.

The AOC considers that it has accomplished what it set out to do and has realised its goal.  From a small group of like-minded professional organisations coming together in 1991, the concept of regulation has been developed and nurtured. Regulation is now ready to move forward in its own right and it is time for the AOC to evolve. The greatest gift that the AOC could make to the regulatory process is to acknowledge that its experience and resources would be best assimilated into the Aromatherapy Consortium/Council. 

Therefore the AOC will meet on the 20th November to decide whether or not the conditions attached to the proposals agreed at an EGM in August have been satisfied and to dissolve and hand over its Terms of Reference, functions and resources to the Aromatherapy Consortium.

There will be a holding account set up to ensure that the AOC’s register money is only used for the purpose for which it was meant by the registered aromatherapist; regulation.  All its member Associations are full members of the Aromatherapy Consortium and will now be able to focus their efforts on one organisation responsible for regulating the whole profession.

Where from now?
The Consortium has agreed Terms of Reference, Constitution and to become a Company Limited by Guarantee.  It will keep in close contact with the Department of Health (DoH), the Prince of Wales’s Foundation for Integrated Health (PoWFIH), the Department of Education & Skills, The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Skills for Health who are responsible for the National Occupational Standards.

It will keep everyone informed of progress and all associations are openly invited to participate at any stage along the way.  Their aim is to be open and inclusive to all.

For further information contact the Aromatherapy Consortium on 0870 7743477, or write to PO Box 6522, Desborough, Kettering, Northants, NN14 2YX, or e-mail them <info@aromatherapy-regulation.org.uk>.
 
A poor response?
In the latest edition of The International Journal of Aromatherapy (IJA) there is a most interesting survey carried out by Heather Godfrey and Tim Duerden - Essential Oils: How do commercial suppliers respond to requests for information? - which they consider provides a useful ‘snapshot’ view. However I get the distinct impression that my peers and I (who are not revealed in the article) failed these diligent researchers with our poor response, and I apologise. Perhaps I can explain a little.....

Three letters, written from the perspective of a researcher, practitioner, and student were sent to each of the selected suppliers enquiring whether they could supply details about the oils they sold - batch number; specific botanical; identification; date of production; origin/source; GC/MS analysis; quality control; and price. Apparently, the quality of reply appeared to depend on the status of the enquirer, e.g., the researcher and practitioner received the most direct responses and the student received the least direct.  I find this a little strange, as I would expect the student to require more help than the researcher or practitioner.

Nonetheless my own response, upon first enquiry (irrespective of the status of the enquirer), would be to send our brochure (which contains some of the information that they seek, and advises upon the rest) and current newsletter without more ado. Judging from the survey, others do much the same.  After all it does sort the wheat from the chaff, because we receive at least one hundred and fifty such enquiries every week and many do not even bother to disguise the fact that they are sending the same enquiry to several other suppliers.

Batch numbers, production dates, and GC/MS analyses are more specific, and really require a verbal enquiry to get my full attention. As the researchers acknowledge, GC/MS analyses are not that cheap and I am reluctant to disseminate them willy-nilly without a formal request. In fact I prefer that the applicant actually buys the oils to which the analyses refer, because they are for specific batches and not general analyses for the oil types. Also I am keen to discover for what they are intended, because I may be able to provide further information and advice. Furthermore, are the recipients able to interpret them?  Information is all well and good but it must be meaningful.

The report suggests that the potential researcher and, indeed, the conscientious therapist need specific details about the materials they use in the interest of continuity, experiment repeatability and monitoring information that they may contribute and validate their research and practice. And yet, and I’m not being facetious, the eminent Michael Kirk-Smith’s fine article a few pages later - The Psychological effects of Lavender: Scientific and Clinical Evidence - does not quote once the provenance that they seek.  Which lavender? I would ask.

However, when all is said and done, can WE supply the information that they request? The simple answer is yes, although production dates can sometimes be a problem because I simply do not know them - producers can be far too canny, and brokers couldn’t give a cuss. 

Why then did so many essential oil suppliers fail to respond at all?          

I doubt that is has anything to do with the somewhat disingenuous suggestion that some suppliers sell low grade oils and/or adulterated essential oils in a quest for greater profits and are therefore reluctant to be scrutinised, because if they are wont to do that they are probably just as willing to come up with some duff information as well.  I think that many simply do not have the resources and, because the cost of compliance is high, I suspect that they would prefer to avoid the issue altogether.  However, as far as those that do have the resources are concerned I would opine that Bob Harris, in his editorial, may have hit the nail upon the head ....If you are able to discuss aromatherapy in scientific terms, other professionals will take note, be more likely to accept your therapeutic intervention and give you the respect that you deserve.  Unfortunately oil suppliers have ‘snapshot’views as well - right, wrong, or indifferent.

Finally......

I think that I might have responded!



charles@essentiallyoils.com
 

previous     next