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Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine

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240 <strong>Alternative</strong> <strong>Cardiovascular</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong><br />

Table 1<br />

Essential Oils for Specific Diagnosis<br />

Diagnosis Essential oil Research Reference<br />

Borderline Ylang ylang Freund, 2000 28<br />

hypertension<br />

Lavender Saeki and Shiohara, 200130<br />

Rose Nathan, 2000 31<br />

Neroli Tiran, 1996 34<br />

Lemon Tiran, 1996 34<br />

Clary sage Tiran, 1996 34<br />

Reducing fear Lavender Hadfield, 2001 41<br />

and anxiety Roman chamomile Yamada et al., 1996 46<br />

Rose Manly, 1993 51<br />

Methicillin-resistant Tea tree Nelson, 1997 22<br />

Staphylococcus aureaus Lavender Nelson, 1997 22<br />

Juniper Nelson, 1997 22<br />

Peppermint Nelson, 1997 22<br />

Lemongrass Sherry et al., 2001 26<br />

Eucalyptus Sherry et al., 2001 26<br />

Clove Sherry et al., 2001 26<br />

Thyme Sherry et al., 2001 26<br />

iar smells and gentle touch can be deeply reassuring. Essential oils have<br />

many other properties that can be useful in cardiology—hypotensor, sedative,<br />

antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic, antibiotic, antifungal, and<br />

antiviral. This chapter covers the use of aromatherapy for borderline hypertension<br />

and for fear and anxiety associated with myocardial infarction<br />

(MI) or cardiac surgery and outlines interesting case and small clinical<br />

studies addressing the effect of essential oils on methicillin-resistant<br />

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).<br />

Herbal medicine, which includes the uses of aromatics, dates back<br />

6,000 yr and was, and is still, used in India, China, South America,<br />

Greece, the Middle East, and Europe. The renaissance of modern clinical<br />

aromatherapy occurred in France just before World War II. A physician<br />

(Jean Valnet), a chemist (Maurice Gattefosse), and a nurse (Marguerite<br />

Maury) were key figures. Each person used essential oils clinically—to<br />

help wounds heal and to fight infection rather than for the relaxing effect<br />

of a nice-smelling aromatic. Indeed, the first antiseptic, thymol, which<br />

was discovered by Lister, was obtained from thyme essential oil. In<br />

France, physicians use essential oils as an alternative to or enhancement<br />

of antibiotics. The use of synthetic scents, which has only appeared in the<br />

last few decades, is not part of clinical aromatherapy.

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