Aromatherapy & Viruses – All things Aromatic

Aromatherapy & Viruses

Ellen Cox

Unless you have been living under a very large boulder you should now know how to effectively wash your hands to eliminate unwanted bacteria and viruses. This is one proven way to help protect yourself and prevent the spread of disease.
ellex cox atlantic aromatics

The other thing you may have learnt is to keep your hands away from your face, in particular your eyes, nose and mouth.  This is extremely important. Yes, it can take a lot of practice.  You NEED to practice this and retrain yourself.

There are times when hand washing is unavailable and a hand sanitiser is a good plan b. Overusing them can cause irritation (particularly for those with very sensitive skin) and then you have another problem, cracked and / or irritated skin.  So, use them only when necessary.  Moisturise your hands, (before going to sleep is a good time).

Having read a good deal about the formulations of hand sanitisers (I do wonder if commercial sanitisers all go under rigorous testing) there would appear to be a general consensus that alcohol based sanitisers are the most effective with a minimum concentration of 60% alcohol (ethanol / isopropyl).  The research gets a bit tricky here with some suggesting that more than this is better and above a certain amount is less effective.

Ethanol and other alcohol formulations are available in different strengths, to assist with the maths so your final formula has over 60% proof alcohol see this:

I found the following a good article regarding hand sanitisers with some excellent links:

Coronavirus: How hand sanitisers protect against infections

I wanted to add Tea Tree oil into my formulation because of its known anti-viral properties.  Also because it may assist in slowing down the evaporation of the sanitiser off your hands.

Other essential oils have some anti-viral properties (Eucalyptus (caution with young children) Thyme linalool and Lemon to name a few) , but Tea Tree essential oil has probably more research than other essential oils and is naturally high in the active component terpinen-4-ol (there are other active natural chemical components in Tea Tree oil).

Having contacted the Australian Tea Tree Industry Association (ATTIA) last week regarding clinical research in relation to viruses they sent me a good deal of information and links to various trials, see below.

Please be aware that not all Tea Tree oils are the real deal, the ATTIA have highlighted adulteration in the Tea Tree oil industry so make sure to use pure quality essential oil of Tea Tree (melaleuca alternifolia) https://teatree.org.au/teatree_about_quality.php

tea tree australia

Tony Larkin CEO of the ATTIA https://teatree.org.au/index.php shared the following comments in our recent communications:

“We know that COVID-19 is closely related to the H1N1 and the attached paper  by Li et al 2013 indicates that TTO is effective against this virus at a 0.02% concentration. The Garozzo papers have similar information against various strains of the influenza virus as well as H1N1.”

“Tony added, when formulating (I am not an expert) it is usually necessary to use a solvent (eg ethanol) or a non-ionic surfactant and emulsifier or even both. Sometimes a gelling agent as well as emollients are also used.”

“If I was formulating a hand sanitiser I would use between 0.5% and 1.0% TTO and use ethanol as the solvent, there would of course need to be other compounds (emollients and/or gelling agents) in there to mitigate skin damage/drying and ensure easy use and good coverage.”

“Please note that this information is based on my own knowledge of TTO and is intended as general advice only; I have absolutely no idea of the efficacy of other essential oils.”

The following is what I will be using to make a hand sanitiser

  • 85ml Formulators Alcohol (approx 75% alcohol)*
  • 14 ml Aloe Vera Gel
  • 25 drops of Tea Tree Oil (from a small dropper insert this is approximately 0.5%)

* I first tried the recipe with Perfumers Alcohol which is what I have to hand but the mixture separated slightly, I was able to lift out the small bits with a spoon (it sprays fine and I will use this until I receive the Formulators alcohol 

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This first attempt is obviously not a perfect formulation but there is virtually no hand sanitiser available in Ireland currently (10/3/20). Yes, I am washing my hands but sometimes you need this plan b.

The above recipe brings the total alcohol content to a little over approx. 60% alcohol.  There is very little aloe vera gel so not a lot of moisture for the skin. I will be using lot’s of pure Aloe Vera Gel or other moisturiser before bed time to keep hands moisturised.

I have chosen the lower dilution of Tea Tree Oil to minimise the risk of irritation. Everyone’s skin is different and what suits one skin type may not suit another. The addition of Tea Tree oil may assist in slowing down the speed of the sanitiser evaporating off hands.

Cleaning Formula

Use the above ingredients, replacing the Aloe Vera Gel with water for a cleaning spray for surfaces.

I will also be making personal inhalers for family.  I will be using mine when out and about, particularly on public transport.    I have chosen these personal inhalers as they can be recycled and I prefer the glass casing to plastic.

Practice good hygene with your inhaler.

If I did not have a personal inhaler I would regularly sniff 2 drops of Tea Tree from a tissue while out and about (or in very close proximity to people) being careful not to make direct contact with my skin to avoid irritation.  Refresh a new tissue throughout the day.

I will also be diffusing essential oils, I recommend alternating your choice of oils e.g. not only using one single oil all the time.  The following are among some of the oils I will use:

  • Tea Tree
  • Eucalyptus (caution with young children)
  • Thyme linalool
  • Lavender
  • Lemon
  • Lemongrass
  • Lemon Myrtle
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  • Best practice suggests diffusing e. oils for a maximum of 1 hour and turn off for 1 hour.  I favour on for ½ an hour and off for ½ an hour.

To cleanse a room, diffuse approx 30-40 drops of e.oils  for 1 hour, with doors and windows closed, no one should be in the room at this time.  Air out the room before entering.

Diffusing: caution around young children, those with respiratory issues.  If pregnant our suffering from a medical condition seek advise from a qualified aromatherapist or health care practitioner.

https://tisserandinstitute.org/learn-more/diffusion-guidelines-2/

Ellen Cox, Professional Aromatherapist, Member of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapist, Accredited Trainer.

March 2020

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21095205                                                              Activity of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil on Influenza virus A/PR/8: study on the mechanism of action (Garozzo et al 2011)
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19843207   In vitro antiviral activity of Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil (Garozzo et al 2009)
  3. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-40444-3_3                                      Antibacterial, Antiviral and Antifungal Activity of Essential Oils: Mechanisms and Applications (Bohme et al 2013)
  1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02786826.2012.708948                              Inactivation of Airborne Influenza Virus by Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Oils (Pyanko et al 2012)
  2. https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2008.02548.x     The antimicrobial activity of four commercial essential oils in combination with conventional antimicrobials (Van Vuuren et al 2009)
  1. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/18/8/9550  Melaleuca Alternifolia Concentrate Inhibits in Vitro Entry of Influenza Virus into Host Cells (Li et al 2013)

 

 

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