Botanicals - Essential Oils, Carrier Oils and Herbs

A full length feature documentary film about aromatherapy which is currently in post-production, hopefully due out in 2020.

What should we do when we come across bad essential oil advice? And what if it involves our friends?  Check out this great blogpost from the English Aromatherapist.

As a beginner, how can you recognise good and bad practices from a jumble of internet sources, books, friends, aromatherapists? A fabulous blog post from Petra Ratajc PhD

Not a research post as such, but this brilliant blog post from Formula Botanica sums up exactly the reasons why you should never try and make your own sunscreen.

This study shows lavender oil helps prevent stress, anxiety and depression after childbirth.

An interesting blog from Robert Tisserand about Lavender oil regarding the claim that lavender (and tea tree) is estrogenic.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that affects the joints, causing pain and stiffness. According to Arthritis Research UK, it is ‘by far the most common form of joint disease, affecting people all over the world and approximately 8 million people in the UK’.

A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice looked at the effects of rose essential oil on sleep quality in patients in two coronary care units in Iran. (First published in International Therapist, Issue 110, Autumn 2015.)

A systematic review published by the European Journal of Integrative Medicine shows some positive results for the use of lavender aroma inhalation to improve sleep, but calls for more rigorous research.

There is evidence that certain essential oils – not all – stimulate the immune system probably effective when the body is challenged by infection. Here’s one study on eucalyptus oil. credit original source: Tisserand Institute.

A couple of studies discussing how essential oils could be useful with the increasing problem of drug-resistant bacteria. One is linked to the image and the other is linked to the title above.

An interesting article that discusses whether or not essential oils, which are all anti-bacterial to some degree or other, have the same deleterious impact on our microbiome as antibiotics have; or are they more selective in the species that are wiped out? Would be good to see further in vivo research on this!

Discover the power of herbal medicine. A great website to find traditional, scientific and practical insights written by experienced herbalists and health experts from the world of herbal medicine and natural health.

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