BOOK y REVIEWS

JANE COLLINS MAUREEN FARRELL K

R

THECOMPLETEGUIDETO AROMATHERAPY

SALVATORE BATTAGLIA

PUBLISHED BY THE PERFECT POTION

(AusT) PTY LTD

UK E2 1.95

476 PAGES; PAPERBACK

ISBN 0 646 20670 2

F or those who require rapid access to information with a wealth of

detail, supported by many references, The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy must head their list. The book, divided into five units, is clearly set out enabling quick and easy access to subject areas by means of a list of contents well displayed on one page providing the Chapter headings in each unit. A very useful and detailed seven page index follows listing the headings, with page numbers, of the subject matter of each chapter. The notes on the use of the book provides a concise synopsis of the purpose of each unit.

The aim and principle of the book is described as a complete aromatherapy training manual. The author recognizes in his Foreword that much of the information in aromatherapy is recycled, often misguided and makes unsubstantiated claims, all of which illustrate the need for multi-disciplinary education and training for the serious professional aromatherapist. The present book is an attempt to address this position and provide a broadly based approach. It is aimed at a readership of people with a serious interest in aromatherapy and at health professionals working in this field.

The book was, and is, being

ATERINA SVOBODA

OBERT TISSERAN

recommended as a text book for aromatherapy; breaking new ground; encompassing aspects of quality assurance, chemistry, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, in addition to practically orientated chapters on professionalism, consultation, counselling and listening skills.

The author tells us that this book “was born of a need to provide a complete aromatherapy training manual for people wishing to have a thorough understanding of aromatherapy”. Later he says “the book is not intended to replace formal aromatherapy training for those interested in pursuing a career in aromatherapy”.

This ambiguity is reflected in the text, which is interesting and

stimulating and written with infectious enthusiasm, but does not have the

focus or the academic rigour which distinguishes a textbook from a practitioner handbook. The references in the text are not all complete (page

numbers missing), or are inaccessible, as they were presented at conferences where only abstracts were published. The chapters too often stray into areas

D

outside the scope of the section. For

instance, the chapter on essential oil

chemistry wanders into the

pharmacological and safety areas, even though there are specific chapters on these aspects of essential oils. The occasional lapse in accuracy is an irritation if the work is regarded as a

practitioner guide, but would be much more, if considered as a textbook. Accepting that this is not the “definitive textbook” for which serious students of aromatherapy are still waiting, it is most certainly a useful thought provoking work with much merit. MF

ESSENTIAL OILCROPS E.A. WEISS

PUBLISHED BY CAB INTERNATIONAL

US $140 UK E75.00

608 PAGES HARD&K

ISBN: 0851991378

s there are no reliable sources of A ‘nformation for growing aromatic crops, farmers and growers must formulate their own systems of husbandry. When I carried out a literature search this was one of the few books I found to be available. Although the title is very appealing, the author has restricted his description to tropical and sub-tropical crops which will not grow in temperate climates.

However, this is an excellent, fascinating book which contains much meticulously researched, factual information on the production of essential oil crops. The very complex processes involved in growing oil- producing plants as crops are fully described, and this boqk should be read by all farmers, growers, essential

oil traders, brokers, wholesalers, of harvest. The comparison of

I retailers and end-users, including aromatherapists.

The author provides detailed text, divided ‘into appropriate sections with a well researched bibliography for each chapter (166 references for Gramineae, 211 for Rutaceae) as well as interesting anecdotes. For example, clove and nutmeg seeds were smuggled into Mauritius in 1770 and the first crop was picked in 17’76. Cloves were introduced into Zanzibar early in the nineteenth century by a local Arab who thereby obtained a pardon for murder from a grateful Sultan.

geranium oils from selected origins is supported by excellent descriptive text. All aromatherapists should be aware of these differences in oil quality and the causal factors.

The chapter on Geraniaceae is the best description of an aromatic plant I have ever seen. Take, for example, the suitability of geranium as a potential crop. The first question any grower asks is: will the plant be able to withstand the climate in the fields? For geranium, the author tells the reader that the plant needs warm sunny conditions, 20”-25°C during the day,

that temperatures below 6°C inhibit growth, and below 3°C are normally fatal. Important information if a grower has 100 acres under cultivation in an area of uncertain weather!

This chapter may also provide the key to the pricing structure of essential oils; specifically, why some oils are expensive. Oil synthesis and accumulation is controlled by plant genes, but the quality frequently depends on the environment at the growing site and conditions at the time

Crop pest and disease problems often dictate whether crops can be grown organically and we need to be aware of the evolutionary ecology between the plant and the pest (fungi or insect in most instances). Look at the pests and diseases which have been reported on eucalyptus trees at different growth stages (seedlings, foliage, coppiced stumps, young trees) -weevils, eucalyptus snout beetle, long- horned beetle, stick insects, scarab beetles, leaf-eating-beetles, sawflies, chalcid wasp, agromyzid flies, leaf- cutting ants, termites, soil-living larvae (e.g. swift-moth) and borers. The Table of fungal and viral pathogens attacking the plant is also extensive and leads on to the question of control and the effects of pesticides on oil quality.

Details of harvesting methods reveal how farmers need to understand fully the plants they are growing to judge and plan harvest times. For example, jasmine flowers are usually picked manually by young women or children (the author doesn’t explain this preference) who are expected to pick 2 kg of flowers in 4-5 hours between dawn and 9.30 am.

This book should be purchased by all aromatherapists even though it is not directly aimed at them. Unfortunately, Weiss is disparaging about aromatherapy and declares that “...to massage oils into the human skin as in aromatherapy is of little therapeutic value....“. In view of the fact that the author goes on to stress the efficacy of medicinal plants, this statement, unsupported by evidence, is astonishing. There is published data on the biological activity of essential oils and many scientists (myself included) therefore support the practice of aromatherapy, which is increasingly underpinned by referenced scientific literature, rather than instinctive ‘sound bite’ science. JC