Neglected Knowledge

The Hidden History Of Essential Oil

Essential oil has been distilled since pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt, yet a great deal of its modern history - a history including provocative clinical findings - has been ignored. Like many other fascinating areas of knowledge suffering similar neglect, essential oil’s action on the human mind and body carries profound implications for our understanding of and approach to holistic health. Serious research in this area was first undertaken by a group of professional chemists and perfumers in France before the turn of the Twentieth Century. Today, few have even heard of the vanguard work undertaken by the Gattefosse Group in Saint-Remy de Provence. Named for its founder and leading light Louis Gattefosse, the Group was determined to follow up on a series of reports published by the Pasteur Institute that had documented strong antibiotic properties of essential oil.

Essential Oil As Remedy

As World War I approached, administration of the Gattafosse Group passed into the hands of Louis’ son Rene-Maurice. When during the summer of 1910 a lab explosion and fire seared his hands and arms so badly that gangrene rapidly set in, the 29-year old scientist desperately decided to put some of the Group’s findings to a critical test. He later asserted that a single wash of lavender essential oil had not only stopped the potentially lethal condition in its tracks but also allowed rapid healing of his injured limbs. During the notorious influenza outbreak of 1918, Gattafosse claimed positive results for preventative gargles and eye/nose drops compounded with essential oils. Today, most medical practitioners are quick to summarily dismiss his observations, but actual double-blind experiments addressing the validity of his results are conspicuous only by their absence in the established clinical literature.

Traditional Essential Oil

In view of the above, I can only lament our generally short-sighted approach to potentially anomalous or upsetting scientific findings. As statesman and commentator Edmund Burke ruefully noted, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Of course, we at Lucky Six Farms make no health-related claims for our wildcrafted, certified organic White Sage essential oil, hydrosol, smudge bundles, cones, or whole leaves. However, it is a fact that Native Americans have made use of this aromatic plant since ancient times. We are proud to acknowledge our intimate connection with it.

By Alan Beck