Rebecca Park Totilo

Living Grand Convention that inflammation is a signal that something is wrong in the body. The 19th century definition of inflammation as exhibiting redness, swelling, pain and heat is still used by clinicians today. Inflammation is even more of a problem because the “miracle drugs” called COX-2 inhibitors (like Vioxx) were withdrawn from the market because of life-threatening side effects, such as heart attacks.

Problems with bacterial and viral infections still exist, however. The search is on for new materials that possess anti-inflammatory properties. Sue decided to study the possibility of essential oils as effective anti-inflammatory agents. In designing her study, she looked at how nitric oxide is released in the inflammatory process,

inflaming tissue and causing tissue damage. If a substance can inhibit nitric oxide, an anti-inflammatory agent will have been found. Seventy-seven therapeutic grade essential oils were tested in a rigorous scientific process.