The Healing Trail

Georges M. Halpern

Description

Essential oils, known for their healing properties as far back as ancient Mesopotamia and Babylonia, have reached their zenith in Madagascar, says Dr. Georges M. Halpern, author of The Healing Trail: Essential Oils of Madagascar. This interesting, informative, and clearly written new book is well-documented, with entertaining historical stories sprinkled throughout, including how eighteenth-century botanists succeeded in making this land a garden for botanical study. Madagascar, the planet's fourth largest island, has long been famous for the individuality of its flora and fauna, and for the essential oils that many consider the best in the world. This book explains why and tells us what makes these oils so potent and effective. It details their use in aromatherapy, a healing method almost as old as medicine itself, and their many benefits to the perfume, cosmetic, and food industries; it describes the successful efforts of villagers to create a sustainable economy around them without having to cut down the rainforest, and offers practical advice for people wishing to visit this lushly beautiful island, "the naturalist's promised land." Dr. Halpern gives the history and the chemical and botanical makeup of eight essential oils (for example, tropical basil, cinnamon leaf and bark, geranium leaf, ginger, and vanilla) and tells how they are best used to promote physical and emotional health. We learn where they are grown on the island, how they are cultivated, what studies are being conducted, and what scientists believe might be future uses for them.

The Healing Trail: Essential Oils of Madagascar is an essential resource for learning how the unique aspects of this island have coalescedto create superior essential oils like no others on earth, and how these oils can be put to use for maximum benefit.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé du quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Madagascar
• Fitness
• Health
• Alternative Therapies

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 15 juin 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781591206224
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The information contained in this book is based upon the research and personal and professional experiences of the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other healthcare provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a healthcare professional.
The publisher does not advocate the use of any particular healthcare protocol but believes the information in this book should be available to the public. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book. Should the reader have any questions concerning the appropriateness of any procedures or preparation mentioned, the authors and the publisher strongly suggest consulting a professional healthcare advisor.
Basic Health Publications, Inc.
8200 Boulevard East
North Bergen, NJ 07047
201-868-8336
Editor: Nancy Ringer
Typesetter/Book design: Gary A. Rosenberg
Cover design: Mike Stromberg

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Halpern, Georges M.
The healing trail : essential oils of Madagascar / Georges Halpern, with Peter Weverka.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59120-016-4
ISBN-13 978-1-59120-622-4
1. Essences and essential oils—Madagascar. 2. Aromatherapy.
[DNLM: 1. Aromatherapy—Madagascar—Popular Works. 2. Oils, Volatile—therapeutic use—Madagascar—Popular Works.
3. Phytotherapy—methods—Madagascar—Popular Works. 4. Plant Extracts—therapeutic use—Madagascar—Popular Works. 5. Plants, Medicinal—Madagascar—Popular Works. WB 925 H195h 2002]
I. Weverka, Peter. II. Title.
RS182.M28 H35 2003
615'.321—dc21
2002154322

Copyright © 2003 by Georges Halpern, M.D., Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction
1. The Naturalist’s Promised Land
2. Introducing Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
3. Calophyllum Inophyllum (Foraha Oil)
4. Ravintsara
5. Geranium
6. Sweet Basil
7. Cinnamon
8. Ginger
9. Ylang-Ylang
10. Vanilla
11. Centella asiatica
12. Biodiversity—Preserving the Rainforest
13. The Healing Trail
Appendix A. Obtaining Essential Oils from Madagascar
Appendix B. Traveling to Madagascar
Notes
Introduction
T
his book was written for the purpose of introducing essential oils from Madagascar to aromatherapists and other health-care practitioners who use essential oils in their work. As Chapter 1 explains in detail, Madagascar may be the last remnant of the ancient continent of Gondwanaland. For 85 million years, the flora and fauna of Madagascar evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. Today, eight of ten plants on the island grow there and nowhere else. The plants from which Malagasy essential oils are made benefit by being cultivated in such a unique environment. The island’s pristine environment, history of producing essential oils, and ecological diversity make its essential oils distinctive and exceptional; they stand apart from oils produced elsewhere.
We also hope that this book may help prevent ecological damage in Madagascar by bringing Malagasy essential oils to the attention of the world. As you’ll read in Chapter 12 , the native flora and fauna of Madagascar are disappearing at an alarming rate. They are threatened to such a degree that many consider the island the single highest conservation priority in the world. During the dry season, thousands of square miles of rainforest are shrouded in smoke as Malagasies burn the forest for wood fuel and to clear land for farming and cattle ranching. Today, only a tenth of the island’s original rainforests remain. Essential oil production represents a way for the people of Madagascar to earn a living while still preserving the rainforest. By using essential oils from Madagascar, you help conserve the rainforest, its flora, and its fauna.
We have yet another purpose for writing this book—to present Madagascar itself. As visitors will attest, it is easy to fall in love with the island. It is a fascinating and beautiful country. Throughout this book you will find stories from Malagasy history, portraits of the people who live on Madagascar, and accounts of scientific endeavors undertaken on the island.
EIGHT ESSENTIAL OILS AND A PHARMACEUTICAL EXTRACT
For people who are new to aromatherapy, Chapter 2 explains what essential oils are and how they are used for physical and psychological healing. Thereafter, we investigate eight essential oils and one pharmaceutical extract processed from Malagasy plants:
• Calophyllum inophyllum. This rich and luxurious opalescent oil, called foraha oil in Madagascar, soothes damaged skin and discourages wrinkles. It is made from the seed of the plant. Compounds from Calophyllum inophyllum may be useful against HIV.
• Ravintsara. The deep, camphorous oil of the leaf is a popular choice for massage oils. In Chapter 4 , we’ll unravel the ravintsara and Ravensara mystery and explain why we believe the ravintsara tree is native to Madagascar.
• Geranium. The leaf yields a heavy, olive-green oil that has a rosy, slightly sweet, minty fragrance and remarkable staying power. It has anti-inflammatory qualities and is often prescribed for boils, acne, dermatitis, and burns, as well as for dry skin.
• Sweet basil. The stimulating, refreshing, uplifting oil of the leaf has a faint licorice aroma and balsamic undertones. It is believed to improve mental concentration and relieve stress. It also is an antimicrobial and is used in food processing to kill bacteria.
• Cinnamon. Aromatic, sweet, and warm, Madagascar cinnamon oil has an animated quality and exciting overtones not found in other cinnamon oils. The oil, which is made from both the bark and the leaf, can destroy microbes and bacteria, help prevent stomach ulcers and diabetes, and restrain the growth of fungi and yeasts.
• Ginger. Warming, fortifying, antiseptic, spicy, and soft, gingerroot oil is often an ingredient in colognes and toiletry products. It is also useful in cases of motion sickness, nausea, mononucleosis, and the common cold.
• Ylang-ylang. This sensuous, flowery, sweet oil induces feelings of languor and calmness, and many believe it to be an aphrodisiac. In Chapter 9 , we’ll explain the unique manner in which the oil is distilled and how it is graded.
• Vanilla. The long-lasting, rich fragrance of vanilla bean essential oil is a perennial favorite. Madagascar has been the leading producer of natural vanilla for the past century. In Chapter 10 , we’ll recount the fascinating history of vanilla and explain how it is cultivated and cured.
• Centella asiatica. Pharmaceutical extracts from the leaf of this plant act on collagen to prevent varicose veins and cellulite from forming. The extracts also heal skin wounds and burns and aid against hypertension.
Throughout this book, we present the folklore and history of these plants and, if they’re not native to the island, explain how they arrived in Madagascar. You’ll learn how the plants are cultivated, harvested, and processed to make essential oils. You’ll also find advice for judging the oils’ quality and healing power.
A WORD ABOUT THE CLAIMS OF AROMATHERAPISTS
Many claims are made by aromatherapists about the health-giving properties of the essential oils they use. We have endeavored in this book to view these claims skeptically. At the same time, however, we do not want to discount the claims of aromatherapists and perfumers. Aromas can trigger forgotten memories. They can change a person’s mental state. They can have a healing and soothing effect on the body and the soul. Nevertheless, essential oils are not pharmaceutical drugs. The oils affect different people in different ways—and sometimes they have no effect at all. What lulls one person into a sense of well-being may quicken the blood of another. What stirs the passions of one man makes the next guy sneeze.
The sense of smell, more than any other sense, is connected intimately with the brain. For this reason, as Chapter 2 explains, the therapeutic effects of essential oils can never be clearly defined, confirmed, or dismissed, because aromatherapy contains a very strong psychological component. Before we can make clear-cut claims about the value of an essential oil, we need to understand what aromatherapists call “the psychology of scent.” We need to know more about how the chemicals in essential oils affect the body and all its systems. To date, much of that information is lacking.
In writing this book, we were faced with a dilemma. Do we describe the claims that aromatherapy makes for these essential oils even though some of the claims are not confirmed by scientific data? Do we ignore these claims entirely? Because the essential oils we present in this book have been revered for centuries for their healing powers, we decided to come down on the side of the aromatherapists; we report what aromatherapists and traditional healers of Madagascar and other places have to say about these essential oils. But we also look forward to a time when essential oils receive the same scrutiny as other medicines. Aromatherapy will come into its own as a healing practice only when more attention is paid to how essential oils—and the different chemicals found in the oils—affect the body.
IN DEFENSE OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES FROM THE EAST
Throughout this book, we present data from both Eastern and Western scientific studies and experiments. Some in the West have been quick to criticize scientific data from the East (namely China, India, and Japan), but we believe that this kind of criticism is unwarranted. The methods used in the East may vary from those in the West, but the scientists uphold rigorous standards and undertake their stu