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Reviewed by Martin Watt I believe Robert Tisserand now acknowledges some of the errors in his early works. He is amazed that they are still reproduced by aromatherapy authors, teachers and on numerous web sites despite the errors being acknowledged via other sources. I realise it is very difficult to correct errors in books once they are published, and most publishers will only allow corrections when a book comes up for revision every few years. I know other aromatherapy authors who have suffered this problem and even had books reprinted under a "new" cover without them being given the opportunity to re-edit the book. As I have said elsewhere, some of these old reviews are simply to illustrate the shaky foundations of aromatherapy. This book and the earlier work were among the first popular books on aromatherapy and essential oils in the English language. Many of the errors in this book have continued for the last 25 years and can still be found in modern books. Some of these errors have become widely accepted by the trade as facts rather than fiction. The Author may have corrected some of his basic errors in subsequent works, but this early book indicates his fundamental lack of knowledge on his subject matter. There follows a brief report of some of the most noticeable errors: There
are just too many errors and incorrect assertions in this book to list
them all, therefore below are some samples. Pages
75 to 78: Summer bath: 3 drops of peppermint oil. The same old tired myth that peppermint oil cools the skin. Yes it does temporarily, but this is followed by irritation and a heating effect, 3 drops in a bath are highly likely to elicit such an effect and if one splashes the water in the eyes it is very painful. The advice on using eucalyptus and peppermint oil in cold compresses to reduce a fever is likewise a wrong interpretation of how peppermint oil works. This error has been proliferated in most subsequent works. Page 78 to 79 contains information on the use of essential oils in enemas with the claim that they can "relax, tone-up, de-toxify or soothe the lower intestinal tract". This information is particularly dangerous since essential oils do not dissolve in the water used in most enemas. For someone with no medical training to make such suggestions in a book intended for public consumption is misguided. On page 79 we have the suggestion that the kidneys may be treated by applying compresses over the affected area. Here the author is once again confusing the traditional use of herbal compresses using water based herbal extracts, very different from the same plants essential oil which this book is about. Page 106. "Most if not all essences are cytophylactic: they stimulate the generation of new cells". There is no evidence for this statement and it is not correct because some essential oils will damage skin cells and kill them, for example, cinnamon bark oil, peppermint oil, thyme oil, etc. The same generalisation error is repeated on page 107. Page 108 suggests that essential oils "are readily absorbed by the skin". There is no sound evidence for this assertion, yet early aromatherapy was based around this unsound concept, and it is still taught to this day. Page 110 claims that cypress and frankincense oils are "astringent". They are not, this is a classic blunder oft repeated by authors with no knowledge of herbal medicine, where the herbal use was extrapolated to the use of the essential oil. Page 131 recipes for Gall stones and Urinary stones. The formulas are simply preposterous and potentially dangerous if used by the public. Page 135 forward. The Essential oil profiles. A general impression is that the author has taken the traditional herbal uses of the plants concerned and applied those actions to the essential oils in the 'properties' and 'uses' sections. No attempt is made to differentiate between the actions of the two completely different extracts, or their modes of use. The activity of all the oils on the internal organs are mainly based on the use of water based herbal extracts, or in some cases the use of the essential oils taken as a medicine. Such actions have then been corrupted into that the external application of the essential oils mainly in massage will have the same activity as their internal use. A few examples: Basil oil. "febrifuge-fevers (malarial or intermittent). Not the action of the essential oil and very dangerous to even suggest it might be. Benzoin. Even at the time of writing this was known to be a skin sensitiser - depending on the variety used. In addition, it is not an essential oil. It is claimed it is good for conditions of the urinary system including sexually transmitted diseases, which it was illegal (in the UK) for anyone other than a doctor to treat at the time this book was written and remains so. Bergamot. A whole list of conditions which even herbal medicine has never been used to treat. He refers to the claims of benefits made by other authors, but gives no indication of the methods they used. Both internal uses and external uses suggested and outrageous suggestions over the oils use for serious infectious diseases, cancer, gall stones, etc. This is the stuff of quack medicine! Black Pepper. A huge list of conditions that black pepper herb has been used for, particularly in respect of internal medication. What the heck he mentions homeopathic uses for is beyond me as this has nothing to do with essential oils. It would take me far too long to list every error on each essential oil. Therefore I now skip to Geranium as this one of all of them has the most glaring errors. Clearly this author had not a clue about the difference between Pelargonium oils referred to as 'geranium' and Geranium robertianum commonly known as herb robert. The Pelargonium oils have long been used by perfumery and related trades. To the best of my knowledge, these essential oils have never been used as traditional medicines. On the other hand, herb robert has an ancient history of use as a traditional medicine. Therefore, 90% of the medicinal use claims in this book about geranium oil are based on the wrong plant. To suggest such an oil can be used against haemorrhage and diabetes is very dangerous, yet I know that modern aromatherapists have been taught that this is a valid use for geranium oil. SUMMARY: Martin Watt 2009 Back to Reviews Back to Home page Source and copyright: |