The Blog
Last blog published in October 2017.
For more recent articles, visit The Tisserand Institute.
Q&A: is cedarwood oil safe in pregnancy?
Nancy B. writes Hello Robert, I met you at the AIA conference in Denver, CO 4 years ago. I follow your blog and have subscribed to your posts and comments. You are such a wealth of knowledge and I love the way to combine research and common sense. I have a question...
Q&A: spilled essential oils discolor skin
Joanne L. writes: Hi Robert, I was wondering if you have any thoughts on the following - a short course student of mine works in an essential oil / fragrance suppliers. Recently she poured an unspecified amount of Lemon Scented Myrtle oil over her leg into her shoe...
Q&A: Tea tree oil & hospital superbugs
Q: I have heard that tea-tree oil is one of the only things that can be used to help combat the superbug in hospitals - is this right? A: I presume you are referring to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA (there are several other antibiotic-resistant...
Q&A: Lavender oil and cancer
This question combines two recent topics - lavender oil and cancer - and shows that strange information continues to swirl about... Beverley H writes Hi Robert One of the first references I use when looking up contra-indications is your book with Tony Balaczs -...
Lavender oil and pregnancy
A Google search for “Avoid high doses of lavender oil during pregnancy because it is a uterine stimulant” produces 1,110,000 hits, though none of these will tell you how much constitutes a “high dose”. (Yes, I checked every single one.) Other Google search results...
Q&A: Ylang-ylang safety in perfume
Cory T asks What do you think is the upper safety level for Ylang-ylang in an oil based perfume? I have looked at the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) guideline and I'm not sure what to think about it. Thanks if you have an answer. I would appreciate it....
Ron Guba on essential oils and skin cancer
During my mini-tour of Australia in October 2010 I interviewed Ron Guba in Melbourne. Some of this interview is shown above, in which Ron talks about his use of essential oils to treat very small, early-stage skin cancers or pre-cancerous lesions. These were not...
Q&A: How Many Oils Can I Blend?
How many of your favourite oils can you mix together before you lose the plot, so to speak? And are, say, three stress-relieving oils blended together more effective than one on its own? *********** If you want something for, say, aching muscles or sinus congestion,...
Q&A: Blue Chamomile for Bronchitis
Linda W. says My daughter has Bronchitis really bad! My question: Can I use Chamomile instead of Roman Chamomile? I don't have any & my health food store just has Chamomile. I want to make a rub & an inhalator by combining Tea Tree, Roman Chamomile & Eucalyptus. She...