Helichrysum Essential Oil - A Magic Bullet For
Treating Sports Injuries?
Misty Rae Cech, ND
Helichrysum Essential Oil - A Magic Bullet for Sports Injuries,
Bruises and Tissue Repair: A Primer for Active Health and
Fitness Readers.
'Aromatherapy' has become an extremely misleading term in
America; the position of 'Aromatherapist' was ranked as one of
the top 100 'BS' up-and-coming new jobs recently on CNN - and
most folks think 'Aroma'-therapy is all about smelling
something pretty so you can feel better. Much of the rest of
the 'civilized' world relies on plants, and their essential
oils, as effective medicines for a wide varieties of medical
conditions. Aside from the fact that many studies have shown
that simply smelling natural aromatic oils can improve test
scores, improve your mood and improve your sleep, there is a
LOT more to aromatherapy than just good scents - and here we'll
have a look at a very practical side of using essential oils -
the speeding of healing of strains, sprains and sports injuries
with Helichrysum essential oil.
At it's basis, aromatherapy deals with the use of volatile
aromatic compounds naturally produced by the majority of plant
species on earth. The difference in the chemical makeup of
these 'essential oils' varies tremendously, and so does the
biological effect of each class of natural aromatic compound.
Many are known as strongly anti-bacterial or anti-viral, others
stimulate tissue regeneration, others will reduce inflammation,
some are analgesic (pain relieving), while still others enhance
circulation (and the list goes on!). The individual chemical
makeup of the essential oil from each plant give that oil it's
healing characteristics. The makeup of one particular essential
oil, that distilled from the flowers of Helichrysum Italicum,
includes a very synergistic combination of compounds that are
known to be anti-hematomatic (active against blood clots),
tissue regenerative, free-radical scavenging (anti-oxidant),
and anti-inflammatory.
Before approaching it's possible effects of Helichrysum
essential oil on sprains, strains and other sports injuries,
let's look at the root of these painful conditions. Take, for
example, a an ankle twisted in a basketball game - what has
happened physiologically? Connective tissues (tendons and
ligaments) have been stretched beyond their normal lengths;
these tissue have suffered 'micro tears', which is damage to
the actual structure of the cells of the connective tissue.
Some of these cells are so damaged that they die, and need to
be re-grown. There is often additional swelling and bruising
involved, which is generally the leaking of blood from damaged
capillaries into intracellular space. This results in a loss of
blood supply to surrounding cells, and blockage of nutrients,
oxygen, and waste products moving to and from those cells. This
in fact, leads to cellular damage beyond the primary injury of
the connective tissue cells. More cell death occurs here, not
only directly from the loss of nutrient/waste exchange for
these cells, but also due to an increase in oxidative radical
activity. The greater the amount of 'secondary' injury which
occurs lengthens the time to recovery - here, one can see why
applying ice to an injury soon after it occurs can speed
healing - it reduces the amount of blood that clots (bruises)
in an area, and lowers the metabolic activity (and oxidative
radical production) in cells with a loss of nutrient supply -
therefore, less secondary cell damage and death accompanies the
primary injury.
Enter the activity of Helichrysum essential oil. It has a high
percentage of anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene hydrocarbons -
this compound acts by dissipating free radicals. The oil's
other major components include neryl acetate, a monoterpenoid
ester with distinct, relaxing effects that can reduce tension
of the tissues in the area of the injury. The third major
component are the regenerative di-ketones, found in significant
quantities only in Helichrysum oil. "The pain- reducing,
analgesic, and regenerative effect of everlasting (Helichrysum)
is unique: If applied in time, it prevents hemorrhaging. It is
also very effective for joint pain..." - Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt,
Advanced Aromatherapy.
In 'Medical Aromatherapy', Dr. Schnaubelt indicates that the
effects of many essential oils cannot be explained completely
by the actions of their individual components - many oils'
effects are greater than the sum of their parts. The synergy of
the components in Helichrysum produces a particularly
sensational healing result. A recent user of the oil, who had
been a professional triathlete, then cyclist, then 'casual'
marathon runner, was having chronic pain in an achilles tendon.
Overuse - and perhaps a stiff clutch on an old car - lead him to
believe that despite excellent fitness, he wound not be able to
take part in an upcoming major marathon. The injury hurt every
time he ran; he had been a proponent of alternative therapies
for many years, with some success using DMSO for tendon-related
inflammation. He had not found DMSO (often used on racehorses
for similar injuries) to be as effective on chronic injuries as
acute ones, and this achilles issue was no different - nothing
was helping fast enough where he knew he could make the race.
For the first time, he gave Helichrysum essential oil a try,
applying undiluted (Helichrysum is very well tolerated this
way) to the area twice daily. Within two days, he was running
without pain, and ran a personal best at the marathon event.
In this instance, the application of Helichrysum reduced pain
(and likely inflammation as well) in the area, and supported
regeneration of the damaged tendon tissues. The essential oil
should prove just as effective with acute injuries as well -
it's noted ability to reduce the clotting of blood, along with
it's anti-inflammatory and tissue regenerative properties give
it a seemingly complete natural arsenal to speed healing in
most common sport-related injuries. In fact, this could extend
to a very wide variety of trauma injuries, though great care
should be taken to use as an adjunct to proper allopathic
medical care in such cases.
Helichrysum is a somewhat rare and costly oil. It has been
noted in the literature that only pure essential oil of
Helichrysum italicum flowers will have this combination of
effects. If you decide to try the oil for yourself, be sure of
your source, and that the species is correct (there are other
Helichrysum varieties, look for ones known as 'Everlasting' or
'Immortelle' - these are synonyms for the 'italicum' variety).
For minor injuries, apply a thin film directly to the area one
or more times a day. The oil will absorb directly into the
skin, and does not cause any reaction or sensitivity for most
individuals. The oil can be applied directly for more serious
injuries as well, though this should be done only in
conjunction with professional medical care. Continue to apply
until no longer needed - application to broken tissue is fine,
and in fact the oil has been used to speed skin healing and
reduce scar formation. A base oil may also be used -
Helichrysum combines well with Hazelnut and Rosehip seed oils,
and can be diluted down to 5% of the total solution and still
be effective. In any case, be aware of how your body is
responding, and consult a medical professional whenever there
is any question about your healing program.
About The Author: The author is a degreed natural physician
with a professional practice. She is a consultant to Ananda
LLC, a Boulder, Colorado based source for
http://www.anandaapothecary.com
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