Scientific Status of Aromatherapy

Abstract

SCIENTIFIC STATUS OF AROMATHERAPY J. R. KING* A paradox in this scientific age is the remarkable popularity of some totally unscientific therapies. Aromatherapy is a case in point, a curious treatment based on the aromatic properties of plants. From obscure origins in France, this seemingly eccentric therapy has risen to considerable prominence in Europe, particularly in the UK, and is now making steady inroads into the USA. In the UK, aromatherapy has become a large and diverse enterprise. It encompasses everything from a marketing adjective for cosmetic products to a serious branch of complementary medicine, usually involving massage with essential oils. This growth has certainly not been encouraged by the established perfumery companies, the traditional guardians of essential oils expertise . Alienated by the more frivolous product claims and wary of becoming part of the drug industry, the more responsible companies generally have ignored aromatherapy in the hope that it would go away. Aromatherapy has not gone away. On the contrary, it continues to thrive, judging by the ever-increasing number of books and articles devoted toit. At an international conference on the psychology of perfumes here in Britain, Kusmeric [1] argued persuasively that aromatherapy owes its present popularity to the enthusiasm ofjournalists, and confidently predicted that it is here to stay. Butjournalists are notoriously fickle in their enthusiasms, and it seems likely that the subject could fall from grace as swiftly as it has risen, unless its credentials are more securely established. Criteriafor an Effective, Securely Based Therapy Most people would probably agree that the following factors are key components of any effective therapy: *Associate Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL England.© 1994 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0031-5982/94/3703-0870101.00 Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 37, 3 ¦ Spring 1994 | 409 1.The therapist should have a positive attitude. 2.The therapy should be founded on beliefs shared by others. 3.These beliefs should be scientifically sustainable. How does aromatherapy measure up to these criteria? Positive Attitude of the Therapist Conventional science is prone to underestimate the importance of the therapist's enthusiasm and rapport with the patient. Such nonspecific factors are dismissed as "placebo effect." Scientifically orientated doctors are often surprised to learn, for example, that only about 25 percent of the improvement in a depressed person's mood can be attributed to the antidepressant drug prescribed. Even in straight physical illness, such as the treatment of duodenal ulcers, the placebo can be almost as effective as the active drug [2]. Dodd and Skinner [3] point out that quite a small superiority of such a drug over placebo may be enough to gain it a product licence; it may then take credit for producing all the improvement seen, a large proportion of which is in reality due to the "dose of doctor" given with each dose of drug. The importance of a positive attitude has been more openly acknowledged in the psychotherapies, where the qualities of warmth, genuineness and empathy are noted to characterize the successful therapist [4]. Aromatherapy can hardly be faulted on this score. Aromatherapists are frequently warm, "therapeutic personalities," who establish a good rapport with their patients, getting into touch with them at an emotional level. A good aromatherapist not only takes a careful history from the patient, but is also careful in checking out the origin and genuineness of the essential oils used. All this builds up the patient's faith in the treatment and its success. The fact that aromatherapy is based on touch (as massage), facilitates the direct establishment of rapport in much the same way as in other forms of healing. The perception of odor also has been classed by physiologists as a form of touch, as the olfactory receptors in the nose "touch" the molecules being smelled. Jellinek [5] points out that such direct contact allows less room for deception than is the case with the other senses, the true essence of the substance being perceived at once. We smell something to find out whether it is true and genuine. Shared Beliefs A firm belief in the treatment, however sincerely held, is not by itself enough. Patients, by virtue of their...