The Blog
Last blog published in October 2017.
For more recent articles, visit The Tisserand Institute.
Tangerine-scented bird
Plants create essential oils by mixing together dozens of fragrant molecules. The functions of these fragrant molecules is primarily to attract pollinators and repel herbivores (generally insects in both cases) and to guard against fungal or bacterial infection....
Gattefossé’s burn
“In 1910 French chemist and scholar René-Maurice Gattefossé discovered the virtues of the essential oil of lavender. Gattefossé badly burned his hand during an experiment in a perfumery plant and plunged his hand into the nearest tub of liquid, which just happened to...
From lemon to rosewood – it’s only skin deep
It's hard to tell how many essential oils are covered in Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's database, because if you put "essential oil" their search box, the results are pretty hit-and-miss. When I tried it, only 16 of the first 50 items listed were...
Personal Care Truth
Why I am one of the “experts” at Personal Care Truth. We human beings have a strong emotional attachment to our beliefs, and our actions are not always logical. Take, for example, the green movement. Are you a “green consumer”? I like to think that I am. Do you want...
The “oxygenation” myth
It is commonly believed in some aromatherapy circles that a major therapeutic benefit of essential oils derives from the fact that they are rich in oxygen; that they efficiently carry this oxygen to the body's cells and tissues, and thus dramatically enhance our...
No suspension of disbelief required
Unlike the practice of acupuncture or homoeopathy, the belief system underlying the use of plants as medicines is not necessarily different to the use of single substances, or “drugs”. For sure, herbalist and doctor may have very different approaches to healing...
Can essential oils raise blood pressure?
The status quo, the widely believed “wisdom” of the day, is always difficult to change, however illogical or wrong it may be. Blood letting had been widely used for 1,500 years before physicians figured out that it was not, after all, the ideal go-to therapy for all...
Zero tolerance
Toxicology is tough to grasp. It’s full of jargon like No-Adverse-Effect-Levels, Uncertainty Factors, and Acceptable Daily Intake. But, the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics has a simple solution – “Let’s not debate how much lead should be allowed in lipstick - just get the...
Toxic baby alert!
Concern: Inhalation of toxic gases Target of alert: Pregnant mothers Introduction One of the greatest health threats to an unborn child may come from a totally unexpected source. A CFSC (Campaign for Scaring Consumers) directive is currently being formulated to advise...