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Camphor is a component in essential oils (for instance, lavender can have a camphorous odour in some species). It’s used a lot in the food industry to flavour sweets and cough products, and it’s used in embalming, fireworks, and rust prevention. Solid camphor balls are used as a moth repellant. In cosmetics, it’s considered a...
Can lavender essential oil cause boys to grow breasts (a condition called gynecomastia)? You probably heard about this a few years ago, so let’s take a look at the case study (which you can find at the New England Journal of Medicine, February 2007 issue). A quick summary: This was a case study of three...
Lavender essential oil isn’t just for aromatherapy – we can put it in our products or ingest it, so let’s take a look at the science behind those claims! RELIEVES PAIN OR HELPS WITH HEALING (APPLICATION) In this study [2](DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.05.006) of 120 women who had undergone episiotomies in the hospital, 25 of the 60...
Lavender essential oil is reported to have many awesome benefits, but the main ones appear to be reducing anxiety, reducing pain, and helping with sleep. So let’s take a look at some of the science behind the aromatherapy claims about lavender. (As a note, unless otherwise indicated, we’re dealing with Lavandula angustifolia, English or French lavender.)...
Linalyl acetate is an acetate ester of linalool, and it can be known as linalyl acetate or 3, 7-dimethylocta-1,6-dien-3-yl acetate. It’s found in clary sage (up to 78%), lavandin, lavender, and bergamot, as well as neroli, lemon, lime, and some mints (p. 171, Selected Topics in the Chemistry of Natural Products). In animal studies, it’s been...