Tea tree oil and biofilms
One of the outstanding properties of many essential oils, including tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), is that they can be effective even against bacterial biofilms. A biofilm is a layered matrix, consisting mainly of polysaccharide and protein, that bacteria or fungi...Book review: The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple
At almost 850 pages, there’s plenty of reading here. Unfortunately, this book is replete with errors. There are innumerable mis-spellings of the names of chemicals. Terpinen-4-ol is an alcohol, not a phenol, and bergamotene is a terpene, not a furanocoumarin. On...Essential oil label guideline
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) announced on August 2nd that it has created a new guidance policy for the labeling of essential oils sold for topical use and offered for retail trade. The AHPA board of trustees adopted the guidance at its recent July...Aromatherapy: the big picture
In September 2010 I gave two presentations at an IFA conference in Tokyo. One of them was called: Forty years of aromatherapy evolution: 1970-2010. There were 475 attendees, and I suspect this was the largest aromatherapy conference ever held. You can see some photos...The Tisserand Institute
Visit The Tisserand Institute for the latest from Robert Tisserand in the science and the effective, safe and sustainable use of essential oils in all aspects of aromatherapy.