Photosensitizers - Which Citrus Oils are Skin Safe?

On a recent Mondays With Marge, Grant asked, "On your site you list your Sweet Orange as possibly causing photosensitivity. My understanding is that Sweet Orange that is cold pressed is not photo toxic. Just curious if this is a typo on the website or if I am incorrect about this.
Oh and why is that some cold pressed essential oils are photo toxic and some others aren't? I.E. Sweet Orange is cold pressed but isn't photosensitizing but cold pressed lemon and lime are.

Nature's Gift Aromatherapy It was a typo...and is now fixed. (THANKYOU!) OLD information and never time to go thru and correct.. Thank you for the reminder. Yes, both Sweet Orange and Blood Orange are "sunsafe" but Bitter Orange is not... go figger!

SUNSAFE citrus oils:

Bergamot FCF
DISTILLED Lemon
Lemon LEAF oil
Lime DISTILLED
Mandarine
Sweet Orange (to include Blood Orange)
Tangelo and/or Satsuma and/or Tangerine
Yuzu.

Photosensitizers.. I need to blog this so we can book mark it..

1. NOT all photosentizers are citrus... Angelica Root EO, Cumin EO and Rue oil are known photosentizers. Fig Leaf Absolute is another one to avoid. (skin safe level? NONE)

2. Known to be phototoxic ctrus family: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Expressed Lemon and Lime, Mandarine LEAF (but not the rind!) Bitter orange oil, expressed.

Others that Tisserand lists as *possibly* phototoxic:

Clementine oil, Expressed Combava (Kaffir Lime), Skimmia, Angelica Root Absolute  AND CO2, Celery Leaf Oil and Absolute, Cumin Seed Absolute. and CO2, Khella (Ammi visnaga), Lovage Leaf and Parsnip oils.

The above information all comes from Essential Oil Safety, 2nd Edition. (But I bet you already knew that.) now.. as to WHY? It's chemistry... that C word again. The photosensitizers contain *either* Furanocoumarins or specific Lactones which have various degrees of phtotoxicity, and may be phtotcarcinogenic. one of the strongest is Bergapten found in.. guess what Essential Oil? Hence the term FCF Furanocoumarin Free as applied to Bergamot. In most (but not all) cases the furanocoumarins do NOT come across during distillation..which is why distilled Lime is safe, while cold pressed lime puts you dreadfully at risk. does this help?

Neuropathy?

Another Monday's with Marge query:

Aneah asked, "In a previous answer, you indicated that Geranium and Calophylum were great for nerve pain, but I haven't been able to find any references to the Geranium specifically in the literature I have. What is your experience - pretty please - with this combo and in what ratio, and possibly with what other oils? Thanks :)

"Okay... there is a published research study showing the use of Geranium oil for post-herpetic neuropathy. (post shingles) it was referenced in my CCAP course and I remember seeing it in a literature source.Finding it, of course, is a challenge.

There is a patent: http://www.google.com/patents/US5260313 for diagnosis and treatment..using geranium oil. (The patent of a method for distinguishing post herpetic neuralgia from other types of nerve pain) I have seen research...but just like you... I'm not finding it..

Wondering if I saw a citation in the ABC newsletter? They sometimes have snippets that I share...  and don't always remember to archive... at any rate... the research (and this is why I KNOW I read it!) was "dose dependent" they tried different dilutions of Geranium oil applied topically.. all the way up to using neat EO. The success rate/pain relief seemed to be dose dependent. And the study was specifically "post herpetic neuropathy."

Well.. I'm not happy with the idea of using neat oils on a regular basis... and I remembered a very small handful of clients had reported that the calophyllum helped ease "post shingles" pain...

So,  several times, when friends have come to me for neuropathy, either cause unknown OR post shingles, and asked for suggestions, I suggested this combination. Most recently was a friend who has been battling some really debilitating and mysterious medical conditions, and was suddenly "STRUCK" with neuropathy... agonzing neuropathy, out of nowhere. I suggested she try a 25% dilution... (remember the research used NEAT!).. she was shocked. She is a well trained Aromatherapist who would NEVER recommend that strong a dilution. I suggested she patch test it.. and then TRY it... and..she was amazed at the results. After the first few days our plan was to gradually reduce the dilution to see the minimum amount to be effective. But I wanted to shock her system immediately and get ahead of the pain, if that makes sense. (AND we patch tested to make sure she could tolerate both components!)

AH.. I have the title and authors.. but not where (or if) it was published. this might help:
Temporary relief of postherpetic pain with topical geranium oil   Frank L. Greenway, MD Bruce M. Frome, MD Thomas Engels III and Alexander McLellan, ND

published HERE: http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(03)00434-0/abstract YAY!!!!!!

I am so glad that I didn't hallucinate the whole thing! ;) It's not in Pubmed! Had I not found the proper title and authers in my archives, I would NEVER have found it.. I googled.. all sorts of options. (Kept finding ME as the source )

Note,  a friend of ours, a gifted and knowledgeable aromatherapy practitioner is suffering from Diabetic Neuropathy.  She had not seen this research, nor considered this combination, and is blending herself some (I think in a 30% dilution?)   I will be eager to hear her feedback, and will add it to this blog. 
  

Please note the importance of individual case studies like the two individuals mentioned above. This is how our communal knowledge base is built.   

UPDATE... initial feedback from Linda Donahue, of BellaLuna, the aromatherapist suffering from Diabetic Neuropathy.  "Just want to give you an update on the calophyllum & geranium blend. I've been using it along the nerve line when the pain, stinging, & electrical shock feeling happens. Within 15 minutes the symptoms resolve for a few hours. I'm able to get sleep! Not a fan of the smell, but it works lol! Thank you so much, Marge! "    

I am truly excited about Linda's feedback because to my knowledge, she is the first one suffering from diabetic neuropathy to try this blend.