Carrier Oils: Aromatherapy’s Harmonizer

posted in ADD by Admin on August 15th, 2009

By Norah Charles

 The term aromatherapy conjures up a fabulous string of scent associations: lemongrass, neroli, tangerine, sandalwood, peppermint, sea buckthorn! There’s no doubt, essential oils are the celebrities of the aromatherapy world. These vibrant oils would not be as applicable to our health, however, were it not for the wallflowers in the background: the carrier oils. These oils come from plants as well and are primarily used as direction mediums for essential oils. Since essential oils are made of small chemical molecules, they break down once they are exposed to the elements. This is the origin of the aromatherapy phrase “volatile oils.” Carrier oils have long-chain structures, though, which make them much more stable and therefore ideal for use with the skin, which is constantly exposed to air.

It’s helpful to think of the relationship between carrier and essential oils as a dynamic that brings out the best in both oils. While most people consider carrier oils mediums for massage and reflexology applications only, carrier oils have healing qualities that essential oils do not possess. Rather than consider carrier oils a lowly delivery system for those stimulating volatile oils we all adore, let’s take a moment to consider the merits of carrier oils alone. You may never look at evening primrose oil the same way again. You may also find that your aromatherapy experience is blessed by new ways of combining oils you already trust with carriers that magnify their healing potential.

To begin with, it is important to remember that fats are essential for human life. Fats, called lipids, are critical for maintaining warmth, providing protection and ensuring healthy cellular function. Although the world of nutrition is engaged in discovering which fats are best for internal health, aromatherapy is concerned with how plant-derived oils deliver health from the outside in. Externally-applied oils help the body maintain vital functions in unique ways through both chemical changes and mechanical assistance.

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen combine to make a lipid molecule. It’s not necessary to tune into the chemical make-up of carrier oils, but it can be helpful because these terms are used in relation to many food and supplement products as well. A simple way of viewing a fat molecule is to know that some lipids have carbon atoms that form two bonds, which means they have a shared electron. These lipids are known as unsaturated fats, and you mostly find them in liquid form. They come from plant matter, and most carrier oils fall into this category. The second type of fat, saturated lipids, do not have double bonded carbons. They are usually found in animal fats, but some plants create saturated fats, too. A popular carrier oil, coconut, is actually a saturated fat. It can also be found on the market in its fractionated form, which is derived from breaking off part of the molecular chain. This results in a liquid oil. The oil functions the same way as in its solid, but it is much easier to apply in massage or reflexology.

A lot of carrier oils are composed of the super-stars of the fatty acid world: omega-6, or linoleic acid, and omega-3, known as linolenic acid. These nutrients, part of the essential fatty acid spectrum, are important for human health. Salvatore Battaglia, an aromatherapy practitioner, tells us that linoleic acid assists our liver, joints, skin and hair and also the cardiovascular system. Evening primrose oil is particularly effective in these areas. Linolenic acid is found in a multitude of carrier oils. When used as a supplement, it assists the eyes, muscles and growth processes. We find it in fish and plant oils, such as rapeseed and linseed, and this acid is especially useful in combating cardiovascular problems and hypertension. For aromatherapy purposes, finding superior carrier oils means the skin will derive fantastic benefits. Carrier oils help the skin keep its shape, color and nutrients, making it your best ally in skin health.

Carrier oils are primarily derived from nuts and seeds. They are extracted via cold-pressed technology, meaning high heat is not used. Once oils reach temperatures exceeding 160 degrees Celsius, their structure is altered, making them trans-fats, a kind of mutated fat that the body cannot assimilate properly. Expeller-pressing is another common extraction method. By placing seeds or nuts in an expeller, the precious oil is pressed out and then bottled. Superior carrier oils are mechanically pressed oils and have not been subjected to chemical changes.

There are many reasons for choosing one carrier oil over another, and most of the time this is based on personal preference regarding the viscosity of the oil and its natural scent. While this is a fine way to choose oils, if you want to include the specific healing benefits of carrier oils in your aromatherapy applications, it might be useful to look at how carrier oils are sometimes categorized. The primary carriers can be put into three groups: massage and reflexology, facial skin care and bodily skin conditions. Fractionated coconut, hempseed, sweet almond and sunflower are all great choices for massage and reflexology. By adding 10-15% essential oil, your carrier will be easy to work with and smell delightful, too. Carrier oils such as apricot kernel, hazelnut and rosehip work well in facial skin care, bringing vitality to skin that has suffered from the sun or acne. Rosehip also assists in reducing scars. Tamanu, jojoba, evening primrose, sesame, shea, avocado and grapeseed are excellent carrier oils for helping dry skin and other skin ailments, like eczema. Deciding on a carrier oil might require a bit of experimentation to see how your body responds, but when you land on the best oil for your needs, you can move on to blending your carrier with essential oils.

When carrier oils are used with essential oils, they provide a mechanism for the volatile oils to be transported more effectively. While most essential oils, when applied externally, move through the body system in an hour, a carrier oil, which is thicker than a volatile oil, “holds” the essential oil in place, delivering longer-lasting healing. Think of it this way: if you apply a drop of lavender directly to your skin, within a relatively short period of time, the scent will dissipate. If you place the same amount of lavender in a carrier oil and rub the carrier oil into the same spot, you will experience the scent even longer. When we apply the same method for healing purposes, rather than simply attempting to make the scent last for aesthetic reasons, we can increase the healing power of an essential oil by ensuring it maintains contact with the body for a longer period of time. Since consistent application of essential oils over a period of time increases the healing potential of the oil, carrier oils help us keep the essential oil active once it touches the skin. Also, many essential oils are too harsh for direct contact with the skin, but once mixed with carriers, they cause no trouble whatsoever and their healing potential is maximized.

While carrier oils may not be as awe-inspiring as essential oils, these simple oils do bring healing into the body. The beauty of discovering which carrier oils work best for you is that your essential oils will be extended, your skin will rejoice, and you won’t have to say, “Now what do I do with this neroli?”

The author is a natural health practitioner in Boulder, Colorado. She is a regular user of therapeutic aromatherapy techniques and consultant to aromatherapy creations at The Ananda Apothecary.

Alternative Health

Essential Oils Makinig Headlines in Cancer Research Journals

By Tarah Cech A

 More Folks Turning to Natural Medicines than Ever Before

While acceptance by the mainstream of conventional medicine may be a ways off, essential oils used in aromatherapy are proving themselves to be potential potent allies in the treatment of cancer. The alternative medicine called ‘aromatherapy’ might actually suffer from a misunderstanding of its name — aromatherapy, often confused with the use of a Glad Plug In Air Freshener, is actually an entire branch of medicine with specific treatment protocols for a wide variety of illnesses. This practice is slowly gaining credibility with patients (perhaps more slowly with doctors) partaking in the conventional medical system of the United States. Their healing power, like that of most natural therapies, can not only transform difficult disease states, but can have a long-term positive effect on one’s overall wellness. They are readily available, inexpensive, and just happen to smell nice — but there’s a whole lot more to them than that…

Science Backs Aromatherapy

There is a growing body of evidence regarding the efficacy of essential oils — simply the volatile chemical compounds distilled from plants — in all sorts of medicinal applications. Their antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects have been repeatedly validated, and has now their anti-tumorial and anti-cancer actions. A search in the U.S. Library of Medicine’s database reveals pages and pages of scientific abstracts regarding cancer, tumors and essential oils. Nearly all of these strongly suggest the particular oil studied warrants further investigation as a potential medicine. Here’s a review of some of very applicable research results:

Anticancer Action of Frankincense

A study in the journal BioMed Central journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2009, titled: “Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity” concludes with: “Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.” …while a bit technical, this is very, very promising — essentially saying that this easily obtained, inexpensive, NON-TOXIC natural compound can eradicate cancer cells without harming normal, healthy cells in the same organ. Frankincense has a long, long history of medicinal use, and searching for ‘frankincense cancer’ produces 30 results just for this material. If choosing an essential oil of Frankincense, the ‘carteri’ species has been the subject of most research, with cold-process Carbon Dioxide distilled oils considered the most therapeutic (seek CO2 or SCO2 distilled oils or extracts).

Lemongrass Essential Oil Normalizes Apoptotic Process

The oil distilled from the leaves of Lemongrass, an herb with a long medicinal history itself, also shows similar action. In an evaluation of the essential oil from the Lemongrass species Cymbopogon flexuosus, the oil was found cytotoxic to a number of cancer cell types, and was active particularly in affecting that ‘hallmark of cancer cells’, the ‘dysregulation of apoptosis’ — the natural process of cell death. One study concluded “The easy and abundant availability of the oil combined with its suggested mechanism of cytotoxicity make CFO (Lemongrass Oil) highly useful in the development of anti-cancer therapeutics”. Inexpensive, easy to make, and effective: virtues of all of Nature’s finest medicines!

Liver Protection from Sweet Molecule

Another groundbreaking study revealed the potential efficacy of a component of many essential oils. The study suggests the potential for one very common constituent can destroy liver cancer cells at very low concentrations — it may be possible then that an essential oil with similar properties found in one’s own region of the planet can have these same effects, offering the same healing or protective action without needing ‘exotic’ medicines to do so. The chemical ‘linaolool’ lends itself to the sweetness of many aromatics. The higher the linalool concentration in Lavender oil, for example, the sweeter it will be. So this constituent of so many essential oils completely eradicated a liver cancer cell line in a very, very low dilution. The constituent decreased the activity of metabolic pathways producing ATP in the cell, essentially killing the cancer cells by cutting of their energy production. While the study did not conclude anything about further investigation (or not), it was profoundly interesting for those regularly using essential oils in their lives. These folks will naturally absorb the amounts of linalool used in the study in their daily inhalation or topical application of oils, perhaps invoking a protective effect for themselves and their families…this would certainly be an interesting piece of research!

Sandalwood and Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is a major concern for many folks, and a series of studies have shown Sandalwood to be effective at preventing tumor development. Alpha-santalol, a component also shown to have anti-anxiety and sleep enhancing action, may be the constituent to which most of these effects may be attributed. This is fortunate, as Sandalwood from India is becoming more rare and expensive, though Sandalwood from Australia and other South Pacific islands is still readily available. A study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, a formula used for containing just 5% Sandalwood essential oil used before exposure to toxins significantly reduced the formation of skin cancer tumors. A study published in January 2008 in the Journal of Anitcancer Research showed a significant reduction in tumor development in skin exposed to UVB radiation — Sandalwood would make an excellent addition to a pre-sun body or face care formula.

Protective Action of the Spice Oils

The common spice oils of Thyme and Oregano have large concentrations of constituents that have been shown to protect human DNA from damage. Alteration through chemical and radiation exposure of our DNA is thought to be one of the primary causes of tumor development. Considered to be common essential oil constituents, exposure to both Carvacrol and Thymol lead to cells being significantly more resistant to DNA damage from exposure to hydrogen peroxide (a potent oxidative chemical). A similar study investigated this effect specifically on human lymphocytes (white blood cells) with the same results. The oil from the spice Turmeric has been the subject of many studies, not only examining its anti-tumor action, but elucidating the specific chemical pathways though which this action occurs. Many other ’spice’ oils have been the subject of similar studies, indicating that these spices that have for so long played a part in the cuisines and cultures of the world also have played a role in the health of mankind. The essential oils of these spices offer highly-concentrated, easily absorbed preparations of these plants, with significant therapeutic potential.

Essential Oils and the Future of Cancer Treatments

This is just a brief look at the science behind aroma-medicine. Essential oils hold great promise in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, including cancer — which has always been viewed as one of the greatest medical challenges facing the human race. The research discussed here is freely available online, with the complete papers often available for relatively small fees from the publisher’s websites. While acceptance of so-called alternative therapies into the mainstream of Western medicine may be a ways off, it will be the commitment and voice of practitioners and patients that move this process along most quickly. These medicines are readily available, inexpensive and easy to use, and with the right encouragement, they will certainly be a part of the holistic medicine systems of the future. (Please note that essential oils can be contra-indicated during the course of conventional cancer treatments, as they have the potential to prevent chemotherapy from working as intended. One’s primary care physician should always be consulted regarding essential oil use if a serious medical condition is being treated).

The author has made available much information about aromatherapy, such as using lavender here: http://www.anandaapothecary.com/aromatherapy-essential-oils/highland-lavender-essential-oil.html

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