What does the Research Say About Essential Oils?
Although essential oils have been used therapeutically for centuries, there is little published research on many of them. However, this is beginning to change as more scientific studies on essential oils are conducted around the world.
Clinical studies are currently underway in Europe, Australia, Japan, India, the United States, and Canada. Many of these studies describe the remarkable healing properties of various oils.
Aromatherapy
An informative site created by the University of Minnesota, which answers amongst others following questions:
What is aromatherapy?
How do essential oils work?
Are essential oils safe?
How do I determine the quality of essential oils?
Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
Peppermint is widely used in food, cosmetics and medicines. It has been proven helpful in symptomatic relief of the common cold. It may also decrease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and decrease digestive symptoms such as dyspepsia and nausea, although more research is needed.
Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity
Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been important both socially and economically as an ingredient in incense and perfumes for thousands of years. Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.
Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: A Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties
There are already several nonantibiotic approaches to the treatment and prevention of infection, including probiotics, phages and phytomedicines. A wealth of in vitro data now supports the long-held beliefs that tea tree oil has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Stimulatory effect of Eucalyptus essential oil on innate cell-mediated immune response
The articles are demonstrating that Eucalyptus oil extract is able to implement the innate cell-mediated immune response, provide scientific support for an additional use of this plant extract, besides those concerning its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and stimulate further investigations also using single components of this essential oil. This might drive development of a possible new family of immuno-regulatory agents, useful as adjuvant in immuno-suppressive pathologies, in infectious disease and after tumor chemotherapy.
Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil as a potent anti-inflammatory and antifungal drugs
Volatile oils obtained from lemon grass [Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, Poaceae family] are used in traditional medicine as remedies for the treatment of various diseases. In the present study, lemon grass essential oil (LGEO) was evaluated for its in vivo topical and oral anti-inflammatory effects, and for its in vitro antifungal activity using both liquid and vapor phases.