You may recollect that last month I was commenting upon the number of holes that are being dug in our roads these days. Well, shortly afterwards, the regular route from home to office was closed for no apparent reason. I surmised that it might be because of forthcoming Horse Trials, which take place regularly on the land adjacent to the road, but the equestrian events came and went and still the way was barred. I could only conclude that road works were due to commence and, therefore, there would be yet more craters to negotiate. Still, I have waited patiently for three weeks for signs of action, but not a pick or shovel have I seen. Meanwhile, all have to make a three mile detour. Why?

Believe it or not the local badger population, or part of it at least, has decided to set up house beneath the road, rendering it structurally unsafe. These omnivorous greyish-black mammals having a white head with two black stripes are one of the larger members of the weasel family and live in burrows called setts. These setts can be quite extensive as, although some badgers may live alone, many badgers like living together in a clan. A large clan may have a dozen or more adults and their cubs. Also, there can be more than 100 entrances to the sett, which is an awful lot of holes! Furthermore, the nocturnal toing and froing of badgers from their home is a potential traffic hazard.

Members of a clan can recognise each other by smell. A gland under the tail produces a musk which, to a badger, smells slightly different from badger to badger. Members of a clan often mark each other with this musk and, by swapping smells like this, each badger ends up with a smell that is special to his or her clan. Thus, any interloper who doesn’t smell quite right can be sent on its way with a nasty nip!

All the same, couldn’t the clan be easily moved along to pastures new so that the road might be repaired and fuel costs reduced?  Apparently not, as humans hereabouts do not wish to disturb the cubs. At a time when several are calling for badger culls, this speaks volumes for the local attitude to wildlife.

Female badgers give birth in or around February. The cubs are blind at first, and their eyes do not open until they are five weeks old. Even then, as they live in a dark underground chamber, they cannot see properly for a few more weeks. When 8 weeks old, which is about now, they may come up to the sett entrances, but they don’t stray far. Mother badgers suckle their young for about 12 weeks or so and it is not until they are 15 weeks old that they are happy to go out foraging alone. However, it is not until autumn that the cubs are sufficiently large to stand a chance of living through the winter, if they do not end up under the wheels of a car before. Therefore, I doubt that the road will be open again much before September when, hopefully, the young badgers will have some road sense. If not, a man-made badger tunnel may well be the only answer, to aid their passage under/across the road, as badgers are reluctant to vacate established setts. Alternatively, we could round them all up with the aid of young Mick and a pack of dachshunds, dogs bred to pursue old Brock, and dispatch them overseas.

You may think I jest, but didn’t BBC News report last year that British forces were said to have released man-eating badgers in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq, following the 2003 coalition invasion. Of course this allegation has been denied by the British, and local scientists confirm that the animals, Ratels, also known as Honey Badgers, are native to the area, but who really knows? Nevertheless, aggressive though the honey badger can be, I doubt very much indeed that it is a man-eater. Still, people do have some strange ideas.

I recollect that many years ago there was an infestation of adders, in Romania I think it was, and some bright spark suggested that hedgehogs might solve the problem. I would not say that hedgehogs are especially partial to these serpents but they will take them on if need be, as mongooses will cobras. However, the hedgehogs then became a problem and badgers had to be introduced to control them. Somewhat surprisingly, I always think, a badger will kill and eat a hedgehog.

Meanwhile, with all the chat about British Airways’s travails at Terminal 5, I was delighted to read in The Financial Times [john.willman@ft.com] that the good people at Lufthansa spare no expense when it comes to ensuring their passengers enjoy a comfortable experience when flying around the world. But is it perhaps going a little far in opening an animal lounge at its Frankfurt hub?

The German airline describes itself as a “leading provider of animal transport solutions”. It flies thousands of animals yearly, including 14,000 cats and dogs, 1,500 horses, fishing bait and ornamental fish. It also helps zoos with animal conservation and resettling threatened species in the wild (they probably travel first class!).

John Willman is sure their animal customers will all enjoy their canapes and free drinks while waiting to jet off to the sun - not to mention showers and a massage on their return. I presume they have to be segregated, though, otherwise the fish might eat the bait, the cats the fish, and so on.   
Smelly phone calls?
Thanks to a new system developed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) that creates fragrances to match individual ringtones, mobile-phone users in Japan are getting the chance to smell who’s calling them. Smell recipes are downloaded into the handset then beamed via infrared to an electronic fragrance system that can mix and emit hundreds of different smells from a basic stock of aromatic oils within it. These can then be triggered to accompany pictures or video on the handset. The device can reproduce food or floral scents, which are reportedly strong enough to fill a room. Heaven forbid, if the Sewage Works rings!

Extraordinary and expensive eye care!
Always fascinated by the astonishing cost of cosmetics, and what’s in them, I was interested to note the recent launch of Estée Lauder’s eye balm and night serum for the eyes. Retailing at £200, the company says they use “the world’s most prized ingredients and state of the art technology”. For £200, I would expect nothing less!

The press release advises that the line is built on three key discoveries - including the pivotal role of calcium: padina, an unusual sea plant that grows in its own protective, calcified shell; micronised mineral concentrate; and manganese and copper.

Padina(Padina spp.) immediately caught my eye, because they are a common group of brown algae with leafy, fan-like blades. Padina live on hard substrates like rocks in shallow water. The ‘leaves’ are lightly calcified and about 5cm in diameter. Unlike some algae that have a calcium carbonate skeleton with the plant tissue living on top of the skeleton, Padina lays down the calcium carbonate on the cell wall surface rather than between the cells. The actual mineral formed by the calcium carbonate is aragonite, the same as that formed by corals. Apparently, the extract from this protective coating is believed to help improve the firmness and elasticity of the skin.
The eye formulation also includes Centaurium erythraea extract (an antioxidant that helps to keep skin looking firm and supple); Sigesbeckia orientalis extract (that assists the skin to maintain its collagen); and gold of pleasure oil (which contributes to the improvement of the skin’s elasticity).

An interesting selection, which I could never have imagined, as Centaury (C. erythraea) contains many bitter constituents, including secoiridoids, also found in gentian. One of the most useful bitter herbs, it strengthens digestive function, especially within the stomach - hardly an immediate first thought to help skin to look firm and supple. Sigesbeckia, although used as a medicinal in parts of India, I had always considered a possible source of seed oil for biofuel rather than an aid to maintain collagen. However, the inclusion of gold of pleasure oil (Camelina sativa) I can understand, as it has an age-old reputation as a mosturiser. Also, the seed and its components help to condition the plumage of cage birds. My Pennant’s Parakeets wouldn’t be without it!

The night serum formulation is far easier to appreciate, as it contains many of my favourite carrier oils - Behen (Moringa oleifera), Tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum), Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), Argan (Argania spinosa), and Baobab (Adansonia digitata) - as well as Monoi de Tahiti and Acai [a principal source of palm-hearts] butter (Euterpe edulis). The night serum, described as a ‘repair product’, and eye balm are sold together as a powerful eye care system. Doubtless they are, but too expensive for me! How about Eyebright?

Eyebright.
Before any discussion about eyebright, consideration must be given to the problems about its name, which are both numerous and difficult. The common name, eyebright, refers to species
of Euphorbia, Lobelia, and Sabatia, as well as to the plant being considered here, Euphrasia officinalis L. However, many botanists believe that Euphrasia officinalis L. represents some four different species, and that the plants used medicinally include E. rostkoviana Hayne, E. stricta Host, and others. Nevertheless, these closely related plants, which do vary slightly in their botanical features, are quite similar chemically and, therefore, it would seem useful, if not entirely accurate, to continue to designate them by the older title, E. officinalis L.

This creeping semi-parasitic annual, growing to 50cm, has tiny oval leaves and small white or purplish scallop-shaped flowers variegated with yellow and a black centre, somewhat like an eye that is bloodshot, or similarly afflicted. Based on a 16th-century theory, the “Doctrine of Signatures”, that held that a plant’s appearance pointed to the ailments treated, eyebright has been used since the Middle Ages to treat eye conditions. In his epic poem, ParadiseLost, Milton describes how the Archangel Michael used “euphrasy” (eyebright) to clear Adam’s sight after his visual nerve had been clouded as a result of eating the “false fruit”.

Most modern herbalists recommend a lotion or infusion prepared from the entire overground portion of the plant to relieve the inflammation of conjunctivitis and blepharitis, as eyebright is reputed to tighten the mucous membranes of the eye. Its ability to counter catarrh means that is also often used for infectious and allergic conditions affecting the eyes, middle ear, sinuses and nasal passages.

Interestingly, although chemical studies of eyebright have identified a number of constituents, including iridoid glycosides (especially aucubin), caffeic and ferulic acids, sterols, choline, various basic compounds, and a volatile oil, none of these is known to possess any useful therapeutic properties for the treatment of eye disease, nor are there any modern scientific studies that attempt to measure the effectiveness of the herb. Phenol-carboxylic acids may play a role in perceived antibacterial activity, but the instillation or application of any non sterile solution to the eye involves considerable risk of potential infection and should never be advocated. Therefore, the ophthalmic application of eyebright is not recommended.

Perhaps in an eye area cleanser then? Whom better to consult than Gill Farrer-Halls?

D.I.Y. eye care.
Gill is a writer and author of several books, including the Natural Beauty Recipe Book. With so many seeking organic products, or wanting to make their own soaps, scents, face creams, lotions, and whatever, this book is an excellent aid. I took it from the shelf.

Sure enough, right at the beginning of the book, there are a couple of recipes for eye area cleansers, and one contains eyebright! In this cleanser, tincture of eyebright is mixed with an infusion of chamomile to create a gentle cleanser suitable for the eye area, especially if the eyes are tired and red. It seems incredibly easy to make.

Take 25ml cleansing lotion base, 2 drops eyebright tincture, and 5ml chamomile infusion. Measure the cleansing lotion base into a 50ml glass jar, add the eyebright tincture and mix thoroughly. Make an infusion of chamomile by steeping one organic chamomile tea bag for ten minutes. Let it cool and then stir 5ml of the infusion thoroughly into the eye cleanser. Pour the cleanser into a jar and label it. Voila! Ready to use.

Although it is hardly state of the art technology, and the ingredients are not particularly highly prized, it looks as though Estee Lauder might have lost a sale to Gill’s creation! Mind you, I do like my Mont Blanc fountain pen, although I am sure that a Bic biro could do the job just as well, and that’s probably what Estée Lauder’s products are all about. For those who can afford them, why not? Whatever, do get Gill’s book. It’s a snip at £12.99.

Just the job!
Speaking of bargains, I have just received a copy of Jennie Harding’s latest book. A highly respected aromatherapist, lecturer and author, she has written books on topics ranging from essential oils, herbs, incense and crystals to chakra healing, stress management and natural beauty. In fact, I doubt that there is anything that she couldn’t write about if she put her mind to it!

On this occasion, The Essential Oils Handbook introduces the reader to no less than 100 carriers and essential oils, all tastefully illustrated with fine photographs. An in-depth profile of each oil presents not only the key therapeutic benefits but also safety information and most effective blends for specific purposes. Containing 288 pages, the book fits comfortably into a handbag or jacket pocket. Now, when I go to talk to ladies’ groups, I no longer have to tote a hefty briefcase full of notes, because all I need to know is tucked in my inside pocket! Just the job, and only £8.99 to boot!   

A plug for Cedarwood Virginian.
In the most recent edition of Perfumer & Flavorist, the raw material focus is on Cedarwood Virginian oil (Juniperus virginiana L.). Cedarwood is a fundamental part of the perfumer’s palette, but there are broad variations on this note, determined primarily by the wood’s genus and botanical family. Cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica Manetti) and Himalayan cedarwood (Cedrus deodora (Roxb. ex D. Don) G. Don) are commonly known members of the Pinaceae. Cedarwood Virginian, however, is a member of the family Cupressaceae. There is currently just a handful of cedarwood Virginian producers in the United States and so the opening of a new source in Hot Springs Arkansas has been warmly welcomed, given the increased interest in the material, the weakness of the US dollar, the cost of travel and the high risk of managing a facility overseas. Cedarwood oil Virginia requires high volumes of raw material, and to be able to process the wood as close as possible to the source is paramount in controlling costs. The industry is always under pressure to keep its raw material costs down, especially now that there are so many petroleum-based raw materials that have clearly been affected by the rising cost of crude oil. [www.PerfumerFlavorist.com/articles]
However, it is not just the cost considerations that are so appealing. Cedarwood’s woody notes are very attractive to perfumers and the Virginia oil in particular has a sought after olfactive character, which is softer than the Texas variety (Juniperus mexicana). The oil is characterized by (+)-a-cedrol and the gentler woody compounds a- and b-cedrene, as well as thujopsene. Furthermore, the advantages of cedarwood Virginia oil go beyond olfactive qualities.

Essential oil of cedarwood Virginia is neither known to have any allergenic concerns, nor is its production known to be detrimental to the environment. The extraction of the oil by steam is powered through the use of the wood itself, the source of which stems from the shavings left by the timber industry. As there aren’t the type of allergens in a cedarwood product that there would perhaps be in other products, it gives the ability of a fine fragrance manufacturer to have a cleaner label in Europe. That’s excellent news because, out of all the essential oils, cedarwood is the most popular amongst men, and is much used in men’s toiletries. Let’s see if Gill has any ideas for a quick aftershave, as I have just reached the bottom of the bottle of my Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet.

Ah, this should be just the ticket!  The astringent and antiseptic properties of cedarwood, together with its masculine aroma, blended with cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) and juniper berry (Juniperus communis L.) to create a deep woody fragrance. Where’s the high proof vodka?

Into a 200ml bottle I pour 20ml of vodka and carefully add, one by one, 8 drops cedarwood Virginian, 6 drops cypress to complement the cedarwood, and 3 drops juniper berry for its refreshing and cooling qualities, and shake the lot vigorously until the essential oils have dissolved. Then I add 50ml witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.), another fine astringent, and 100ml orange flower water (Citrus aurantium L.) for toning the complexion, and shake vigorously again. Fantastic! Now all I have to do is splash it on, remembering to shake the bottle first. Thanks Gill!

The Pros and Cons of Arnica.
The medicinal virtues of Arnica were independently discovered by Europeans before the end of the sixteenth century and by American Indians at an early, but uncertain, date. Originally, the whole plant including the root was used, often internally, for a variety of complaints. At a later date, the flower heads alone began to be employed, either as a tincture or an ointment.

The European drug is obtained from Arnica montana L.; the American product comes from Arnica fulgens Pursh, A. sororia Greene, A. latifolia Bong., and A. cordifolia Hook. All are closely related perennial herbs of the family Asteraceae with orange-yellow daisy-like flower heads. The plant grows in mountain woods and pastures in central Europe, the Pyrenees, and north-western United States and Canada. The flowers are harvested when in full bloom and the rhizomes after the plant has died back in autumn.

Best known as an effective ointment and compress for bruises, sprains and muscle pain, arnica improves the local blood supply and accelerates healing. It is anti-inflammatory and increases the rate of reabsorption of internal bleeding. If taken as a decoction or tincture, it stimulates the circulation and is valuable in the treatment of angina and a failing heart, but it can be very toxic even at low dosage and thus is rarely used in this way because it is irritant to mucous membranes and ingestion may result in fatal gastroenteritis, muscle paralysis (cardiac and voluntary), increase or decrease of pulse rate, palpitation of the heart, shortness of breath, and may even lead to death. The chemical constituent helenalin is stated to be the principle responsible for these effects. Thus, arnica should not be taken internally except in suitable homoeopathic dilutions.

External application of arnica, however, is quite another thing. Although widely used for years as a home remedy for aches and bruises, no one really knew how or why arnica worked. Some even speculated that the main active ingredient in arnica tincture might be the alcohol! Although chemical studies isolated and identified large numbers of constituents, none of them accounted for the drug’s reputed anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Finally, in 1981, a report from Germany, where more than 100 different drug preparations containing arnica  extract were then marketed, revealed that certain sesquiterpenoid lactones were the active principles [Werner, W. Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung 121: 199, 1981].
 
Helenalin, dihydrohelenalin, as well as esters of these two compounds possess pharmacologic properties that explain a number of the actions of arnica. Besides producing analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, the compounds also have some antibiotic activity. One drawback must be noted, however, helenalin is an allergen and causes contact dermatitis in some. The potential for allergenic reactions is believed to be related both to the helenalin concentration and the delivery medium. If a reaction occurs, the application of arnica should be immediately discontinued.

Arnica’s risk-benefit ratio has occasionally been questioned and, although it is approved in Germany for external use in the treatment of haematomas, sprains, bruises, contusions, joint and muscle pain, and for fracture-related oedema, in the USA it is listed by the FDA as an ‘unsafe herb’. However, there is considerable evidence for its external use to reduce bruises and the inflammation of rheumatic aches and pains, and so why not?

Questionable Lily of the Valley.
I wonder if you’ve heard anything about Lily of the Valley being used to help conception? I was asked the other day. Is there a pure essential oil or an absolute available rather than a perfume?

Frankly, the first question has me flummoxed and I shall have to research more thoroughly, unless somebody else knows. Apparently, human sperm are attracted by the smell of Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis L.). Human sperm have ‘noses’, which they use to navigate towards a woman’s egg. Researchers experimented with a range of floral fragrances and Lily of the Valley came out top, getting the random sperm wiggling in the same direction at twice the normal speed. The mind boggles!

According to my correspondent, research was carried out at Ruhr University in Germany in 2003. They discovered a new sperm protein, hOR17-4, which acted as an olfactory receptor for sperm in exactly the same way as protein sensors in the nose detect smells. They then tested their new sperm ‘nose ’on hundreds of synthetic compounds, many of them used to mimic floral scents in commercial perfumes. One of these, bourgeonal, is used to create the Lily of the Valley fragrance. It had two dramatic effects on the behaviour of the sperm: doubling its speed and changing undirected swimming behaviour to direct movement. The ‘foot to the floor’ effect seems to derive from hOR17-4 making them wag their ‘tails’ harder. [I wonder if Porsche is aware of this research?!]. It seems that bourgeonal is now being used in fertility treatment to pick out the strongest sperm. How, I wonder?

As for lily of the valley oil, laymen or people outside the perfumery profession are often very surprised when they are told that lily of the valley is not one of the important perfumery raw materials, because it is most unlikely that the delightful fragrance of the white flowers of this plant is ever available as a natural oil. Sadly, it cannot be captured by steam distillation.

Cultivated lily of the valley is considerably less fragrant than its wild growing relatives and, although the attractive perennial grows wild in nearly all parts of Europe, the collection of  individual flowers, which are very small anyway, would demand a tremendous volume of hand labour which is not available in Europe at low cost. Furthermore, although the yield of absolute by the conventional two-step extraction is not exactly low, the product does not have either any strikingly unique notes, or a true-to-nature fragrance. In most cases, artificial lily of the valley perfume bases are technically superior to the natural absolute. Why bother with the real deal therefore?
    
Medicinally, lily of the valley contains cardiac glycosides, including convallatoxin amongst others, which act to strengthen a weakened heart. Is this why herbalist Apuleius, writing in the 2nd century AD, records that Apollo gave lily of the valley as a gift to Aesculapius, the god of healing? It is used by British herbalists in place of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.) in cases of heart failure, as it is better tolerated than foxglove because it doesn’t accumulate in the body to the same degree. Yet, all modern authorities characterize the plant as poisonous, and convallatoxin is regarded as the most toxic cardiac glycoside in existence. [Baumgarten, G. Die Herzwirksamen Glykoside. VEB Georg Thieme, Leipzig, 1963, p. 67]. Be this so, why use it for the treatment of heart conditions?

An unlikely source of opium.
As Jan was planting up the lettuces this weekend, I was reminded that, in the mid-1970s, lettuce opium was resurrected as a legal mind-altering drug by members of the American Hippie movement. Widely advertised in counterculture publications, it was offered either as the pure material or combined with “potency enhancers” such as catnip and damiana. The products were intended to be smoked to produce a feeling of euphoria and well-being. At the height of lettuce opium’s popularity in 1977, one dealer was reported to be making $1,500 profit per day from the sale of extracted lettuce products. Thirty years ago, that was not an insignificant amount of money and, even today, it would greatly ease the pain of the credit crunch. Of course, the idea was nothing new.

The ancient Egyptians took it as a drug, as they did many other things, thinking it soporific; however, this was probably based on the similar appearance of the white milky juice exuded by the cut lettuce plant and that yielded by the opium poppy. The odour, taste and general look of lactucarium, as lettuce opium is also known, do resemble those of opium. Consisting of the dried milky juice or latex, it is collected from the stem of the plant when it’s in flower. The hippies were probably into so-called wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa L.), but garden lettuce (L. sativa L.) could have served just as well.

An extensive pharmacological study of  lettuce opium, published in 1940, showed that the fresh milky juice contained two bitter principles, lactucin and lactucopicrin, which had definite depressant or sedative effects on the CNS of small animals. Is this why SuperBun enjoys a quiet nap after his morning lettuce, I wonder? However, these compounds were found to be quite unstable, and commercial lactucarium had little, if any, activity.

Nevertheless, in 1981, scientists did detect minute amounts of morphine (2 to 10 nanograms per gram, dry weight) in both hay and lettuce, but remember that a nanogram is one billionth of a gram; also similar amounts of morphine were found in such unlikely natural sources as cow’s milk and human milk. Although I know it’s all in the mind, I don’t think that I shall be switching from tobacco to lettuce!

Finally......
Not to be outdone, John Brewster, Chairman of the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, City of London Corporation, writing in today’s Financial Times, points out that, although the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (ARC) does not provide an animal lounge (which conjures up images of reclining chairs for jet-lagged cats and aromatherapy [can you believe?!] for stressed racehorses in his mind), the City of London Corporation’s facility has been receiving, quarantining and caring for the health of animals arriving at Heathrow since 1977. And far from them arriving two-by-two at the ARC, the centre deals with more than six hundred thousand animals every year, including brown bears, alpacas, tigers, ant-eaters and the occasional rhinoceros!

Some may wonder why the City of London Corporation runs Heathrow’s animal care facility. For hundreds of years, “the City” was home to the country’s busiest port - and it became an expert on ‘bulls’ and ‘bears’ of the real kind as part of its job looking after health on the tidal Thames. Amazing what I learn new every day.




charles@essentiallyoils.com

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