Aromatherapy
The Scent of Snake Oil
By Daniel Muniz

Aromatherapy harnesses the aromas from plants for emotional and physical rejuvenation. Most aromatherapy products are inhaled and/or applied to the skin through lotions, bath salts, shower gels, shampoos, candles, lamps, or other intermediaries. Some are ingested like certain types of tea. Additionally, cooking with herbs can also be considered to be a form of aromatherapy.

The oils or resins that constitute the aroma are extracted from the roots, stems, stalks, leaves, flowers, or fruits of a particular plant. They are then tightly concentrated and placed into various products for consumption. Overall, aromatherapy is supposed provide a medicinal or therapeutic effect depending on the properties of the specific plant.

Some products supposedly operate very much like a narcotic in creating a sense of euphoria or facilitating relaxation while others claim to alter moods and temperaments. The oils from certain plants purport to increase alertness, improve memory, enhance focus, and stimulate intellectual power. The medicinal properties of other plant oils claim to accelerate the healing of physical afflictions such as clearing up the lungs for better respiration, removing toxins from the body, improving circulation, and enhancing sexual experiences.

And then there are the more dubious assertions of opening up higher energy centers and harmonic wavelengths.

So if aromatherapy can do all of these seemingly fantastic things, what kind of scientific proof is there to validate these incredible claims?

The simple answer is that there are none.

A rigorously controlled two year research study conducted by Ohio State University evaluated physiological functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, immune function, and stress hormones on the effects of lemon and lavender which are two very highly popular aromatherapy products. In fact, participants of the trial did demonstrate a strong reaction but to distilled water instead of to the aromatic test items.

However, what was even more fascinating was that the study also included about a third of the participants who were ardent believers of the healing and therapeutic powers of aromatherapy. Unfortunately, their biological responses did not produce any measurable physiological results.

Aromatherapy may smell great but it hardly fulfills any of its promises. A pleasant fragrance may help people relax but that behavior is more of a byproduct of the mind. But for the curative capabilities, the OSU study along with previous other research trials by universities and pharmaceuticals haven’t turned up anything groundbreaking.

And besides, these products really don’t want further scientific scrutiny because that is not the issue. Instead of the chemical properties that produce a positive biological and psychological reaction, it is the “essential oils” of the plant that truly performs the therapeutic and healing benefits.

So in other words, aromatherapy experts profess that it is the soul, spirit, or life force of the plant that is extracted and concentrated into what they term as the “essential oils” and that is what does the trick. I would sure like to see how they can verify that the “soul” was indeed captured in the resin of a leaf, stalk, or fruit.

As a result, whatever interaction that occurs in an astral plane or in some other dimension cannot be scientifically evaluated, much like the healing power of prayer. However, at least prayer restricts itself to religion while aromatherapy tries to play fast and loose with the truth by presenting itself as a credible medical supplement on the surface but whenever they are cornered by empirical evidence, it then claims to be a form of spiritualism.

Aromatherapy cannot have it both ways especially since it makes such remarkable claims of having healing and therapeutic properties. An unsuspecting public has a right to know whether or not these amazing promises hold water or if they are nothing more than wishful thinking. In fact, the real danger are the people who need legitimate medical advice from a licensed professional such as their primary care physician but get hoodwinked by products that have little to no scientific basis for their purported preventative or healing attributes.

But the truth of the matter is that this is an industry that generates hundreds of millions of dollars every year. And since it falls into the same categories of vitamin supplements, none of their fanciful claims have been evaluated by the FDA nor have they gone through years of rigorous testing that pharmaceuticals are subjected to before they are allowed to put any kind of medicine on the shelf.

In fact, aromatherapy escapes much of the scrutiny from the government because it is not regulated. They are prohibited by federal law from making these kinds of outlandish claims but just like vitamin supplements, the government has not pursued any regulatory action against them.

Now does that mean that aromatherapy has zero value?

Of course not, I use menthol cough drops for colds and my toddlers have had Vicks Vapor Rub applied to their chests when they were sick but those treatments are recommended by the medical community.

Overall, aromatherapy is a mixture of a little bit of everything from New Age mysticism, to ancient and medieval folklore, to the emerging fields of alternative medicine. Its biggest allure is that it is trendy and marketed to the affluent and elitists. Perhaps upscale people feel that it is their right to get ripped off by questionable overpriced merchandise and I won’t stand in their way. However, for the people who need valid medical advice, they need go to a real professional instead of wasting their money on snake oil which could prevent them from getting a legitimate treatment.

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