Shingles, again

Google Health defines Shingles so:

Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox.

They go on to describe the wide array of symptoms (almost all painful!) that occur with it, and say that it is normally a self limiting illness, but usually treated with oral antiviral drugs.

I've never suffered from Shingles, for which fact I am well and truly grateful.

Now...according to the law of the land, I am not allowed to make any statement that any product of ours can affect the course of a disease, or could possibly " cure, mitigate, treat or prevent" disease.

I believe I can still quote Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, who writes in Medical aromatherapy: healing with essential oils that a dilution of Ravensara essential oil in a base of Calophyllum inophyllum (Foraha or Tamanu) can treat Shingles effectively.
And Dr. Jane Buckle writes of the use of Ravensara in Calophyllum to treat Shingles, and, in fact, any sort of Herpes outbreak.  She writes in Clinical Aromatherapy "the most successful essential oil Ihave used has been Ravensara Aromatica. "

Len Price, in Carrier Oils for Aromatherapy and Massage writes of Calophyllum (which he calls Tamanu "a combination of tamanu vegetable oil and Ravensara aromatica essential oil has been used successfully as a treatment for Shingles."

What triggered this rash of quoting?  An email received this week from Dusti Martin in Longbow TX.  Dusti has been a client since before my oldest records,  I think I made my first major error on one of her orders... received an order from a Dusty Miller and Dusti Martin on the same day...and switched the contents.  Dusti obviously forgave me, because she's been ordering from us ever since.  At any rate, she wrote Oct. 11:

I can really use your help with my new ailment!  Oct. 2 I felt "odd" in that I had a mild headache, felt weak for no reason I could think of, and the skin on the right of my torso was very sensitive to touch.  Wednesday night I discovered bumps on my right back waist (and they are multiplying and roaming along my right front).  I consulted WebMD for shingles and that was what I had.  On Thursday I saw my doctor who confirmed my hunch.  She prescribed an antiviral med to take 3 x daily for 7 days.  She also prescribed med for pain for when the blisters are gone.

Long story short, I have no Calophyllum and none of your Ravensara Aromatica.  I do have a 5ml? bottle!  Can you help me out here not only with the carrier and oil, but also number of drops of Ravensara in the Calophyllum?  Massage directly on the bumps?  Apply how often?  Sorry to be such a novice but this is my first excursion into medical application. 

I'm trying to get to where it's comfortable enough to wear jeans by next Sunday.  Our choir begins rehearsals for the Christmas Concert and I really want to participate!

We immediately shipped her both Calophyllum and ravensara.  Yesterday (12 days later) she wrote:

Hi All,

Three weeks ago I was developing a case of shingles, only didn't yet know why I was feeling "odd".  My doctor prescribed an antiviral medication which I took the requisite seven days.  In the meantime, I contacted Marge after looking up the article regarding shingles on your web page.  I ordered the Calophyllum and Ravensara and added the entire bottle of Ravensara to Calophyllum, per suggestion.  That was on October 15.  By the 17th, I was able to fairly comfortably wear jeans to choir practice in the evening.  That in itself was amazing!  I've applied my "Wonder Serum" daily, several times a day this past week and I cannot describe adequately the improvement in the way I feel!  The extreme skin sensitivity is almost gone.  The spots/bumps are drying up and going away.  I am finally able to wear clothing with a waistband and am NOT in pain!  I can drive and not cringe with every bump or hole in the roadway.  I knew this solution would be helpful but I
 had no idea just how much or how quickly it would bring welcome relief :)

Thanks so much,

When I wrote asking her to share, she replied:

Yes, PLEASE share it.  It's been a blessing, this "Wonder Serum", and it can help others IF they know about it!

We've written about this blend for Shingles before.  In December 2001, our newsletter contained the following thank you:

Beth Werner's husband John managed to contract a case of Shingles...

Nasty, PAINFUL stuff.  Beth had us shoot some callophyllum innophyllum and some ravensara her way. This is John's Emailed message the day after he received it:

Marge,

The stuff Beth ordered for treating my shingles arrived today, and she whipped up a batch.  I put it on before laying down for a nap at 4:00 and popped a Co-Tylenol.  It was the best few hours of sleep I have had in a week.  When I woke up, the angry red color of the shingles had noticeably subsided.  The swelling in my eye lid was also greatly reduced.  (My wife says I have an eye again.)  Even Beth is amazed at how well it worked.

Thanks,

- John

In October, 2002 From Juliana Lipe, in Shreveport:

Hi Marge,

Just wanted to give you some feedback on the Ravensara oil that I recently purchased for a friend with shingles. I did a 10% dilution in Calophyllum for her and she told me today that, in her words, "it healed me!" She said that it relieved the itching and healed the lesions that had plagued her for weeks. Another wonderful EO success!! Thanks again for your help!

Juliana

 And some of you remember Courtney raving about her mother's finally believing that what we make available WORKS when, after dealing with a Shingles outbreak for almost a month she finally agreed to try "some of your snake oil."... the next morning she was singing our praises.


Over the years we've had requests to offer this combination 'preblended', and always refused.  We finally decided that when someone is absolutely miserable and in pain they don't need to be measuring and blending. It seems an act of mercy to make the combination available preblended and ready to order.  So we are. Our description of Ravensara now gives a description of both the undiluted oil, and the Calophyllum dilution.    I hope the information given will be helpful to some of you.

Molluscum contagiosum and Lemon Myrtle Oil

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral skin infection causing wart like lesions on the skin. Most forms primarily infect children, although there is one form that is sexually transmitted and affects adults. It is passed by direct contact. See WebMD for more information.

Allopathic treatment seems to be limited to either freezing the lesions off, removal by laser, or the use of certain chemicals. These options all leave the possibility of scarring, and none kill the virus.

Unfortunately, there has been one widely publicized study showing that a 10% dilution of Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil (Backhousia citriodora) has been effective in treating the lesions. I was unaware of this study until a client called sourcing the oil, for this use on his two year old.
I urged him NOT to use it, because Lemon Myrtle is such a strong skin irritant. However he quoted the study, and went blythely on his way using it on his toddler. (I've not heard back from him, and would like to.)

I contacted Dennis Archer, the grower/distiller of the first organic Lemon Myrtle plantation in Australia, and author of the reference book by the same name.

His response to my query:
"10% Bac Cit...when I read that, I nearly fell off my chair...seems like a recipe for disaster to me...and criminal to boot...research wasn't paid for by an EO producer, by any chance? If you would forward the link, I'd be
appreciative...I suspect it would be VERY irritating, and the odds on
becoming sensitised would be enormous."

In my opinion, NO ONE knows more about the practical applications and appropriate use of Lemon Myrtle Oil, and when Dennis says it's dangerous. It IS!

(An aside...many of the sources that quote the study using Lemon Myrtle oil in a 10% dilution also note that at even a 1% dilution, Backhousia citriodora can irritate the skin.)

There are other essential oils that also have powerful anti-viral effects that should prove helpful, without the pain and irritation that treatment with Lemon Myrtle oil is bound to cause. Studies indicate that Tea Tree oil is also effective, although not as rapidly as the Lemon Myrtle Oil.

My first choice would be (for a very young child) Ravintsara Essential oil Cinnamomum camphora ct Cineole, with its high content of 1.8 Cineole. For an adult I might go with Ravensara Aromatica. Perhaps the addition of Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia) for both its anti-viral and its immunostimulant effects would also be appropriate.

For a carrier, I would choose a blend of Calophyllum inophyllum (Foraha, or Tamanu), perhaps with some Rose Hip Seed oil added.

Molluscum contagiosum is one of several "enveloped viruses"... a category that also included the various forms of herpes. The exact mechanism of how essential oils work to counteract these viruses is incertain, but the oils are believed to interact with the viral envelope. For this reason, it appears logical to assume that the oils and combinations proven effective against herpes and shingles should also be effective against Molluscum contagiosum.