Endometriosis

LETTERS

ENDOMETRIOSIS

\\hy

was evening

oil (EPO)

the production

amongst

effects

other

uterine

(sometimes

can

endomrtriosis

is associated than

normal

level of prostaglandins, y011 want to stimulate

more

production? stlllerei-s

pelvic pain

and prior

get

during

to mfwstrllalioii,

As prostaglandins co~~trdc.tioli

therefore

pain,

When

the immmle

M’hat I didn’t

was thar adrenal

know

thcll

sucli as

geranium.

rosemary,

also ca~~sc the release co,-ti\ol,

of

Fvhich rcducrs

pwduction

the

of natural

cells. Does that

mean

s5stcm?

it may he

ia vcl-\

varied

found

have \el-y

properties,

havr

opposite

each

othcl:

with i-elated

and solar

pi-operrirs

c.c~~~~p~~~mcl~

(Ieukotrirnr~,

On

\\a~,.

111r subject

there

of rhat

all! oils spcciticall~

pl-ilnrose

in cndomrtriosi5 \vith high lewls

oil (EPO) arsociatrd

prostaglandin

is not rarioilal

is ill fact effective prostaglandin

oils of

endemic

species:

alld

oils, sllch

anise,

(anerllolr

star xnisr 11a5

vc~-! weak oextrogcn-like activity),

hormollr-like

efl’cct\

also likely to hc \er!

Rave~isara

specirs.

to lx dilferent,

bhich supposed

ha1.e in fact

mcthV1

manuka

and kanuka

are also similar

lx

which

looking

1 am in the progress

Gardens,

at Kew

the RHS M’isle!

these

for help in tracing

elusive

species

Leaws

cNgr1101,

1ioDo.t Tissnnntl Thank

0

Ydl,,,3kS

and

cll/,lttl-pinrne, Dr./m

r@rs

yo,~ for your on ravensara. hco Of

k,V/~~,.Y//r-O

t!HiK/tO,

the othelanalysctl

not. I had them and no difference

seen between

coUld lx

the oils, but and i%

i,~~~,rc-ancll~olc were lound both.

ClearI)

qllitc

different

are

c~ar~oph~llcne,

linalool,

cilleole-rich

wrak.

~gcrmac,-cm-D.

t/r//t/-

tr,orr,//fic’cl.

I

conimercia~

one “organic”,

SXck rstragolc,

the same chcmic-al compoGtion. bark contain:

Any otlrrl

for instance

obtained rt al.)

had till now lwen

to the anetholc-

pickers,

ccm~ments

I~mrlcm,_~

Sonnerat

tr~omrrliw

(Andiantsiferaila

and fennel

of

of essential

infol-1x1s me that the txvo

are largcl\

of plants

(July 2%

Hormonal

c-ffixts 01 ehwntial

confilsed

Society

f’rom the

as they xc,

Species

a*-c often

Gardens

sp. Rrrwtc.ccrt-rr trniwlu

l)allgll~

the Lauracene

expected.

on Chemical

~lalagass~ Piper

in the

of R. nromnli~c~, rather

and the New York Botanical

this

col-tcx.

containing

range

presented

relrasc

I aising

the cffc-r ti\,riiess

with some

cortisol

if EPO

dir cvitlcncr

of EPO in a uide

pi-omotr

1 ,X-

year at the Arnerica,I

2i 1995)

(Mwtaceae)

species.

of pinenes.

A paper

of the

ol’asking colleagues

aclrcn;il

confined

levels.

H(nvr~el, concerning

in

maiilly,

small amounts

anal+ of

is no evidence

that \ve arc a,<,rc 7bllJ rhlfrc \ WplicT, I +grcc that the 1I.W 01

cineolr

of Pharmacognosy orhrrs)

and

in \cr’i’ complex

the

\tras,

evening

to

1

to &urr[~j~~us

glohulus ic. containing

ph’isiologicalh

rllrollllx~salles

0

ohscru-e. a sample,

it to lx almost

idciltical

FLwthermorc,

that

is rather

M’hen 1 analvsed

Dil~crent

Its trl~t

compoGrion

hoxvcver

cl~hjrc1 01

prosraglandins

than

for a

of maladies.

chemical

parts

with Eucalyptus

species place

to he

beneficial

Ilmnher

loi rcason~

hv manv

arolnathcrapists grcatlv

ill

wc do not let understalld.

rhcv inrrract

to case depression

I am also depressing illlmrune

pronounced

done.

remain

as they gro~r

We may be being

supplied

~~ru~~t~~~im has heen

nl@rrk

The plants

in remote

Dear Editor, Knwnsom

pinenea,

and terpenyl

olxcure

world.

little

is effvcti\r

killer

time I USC hasil OI

geranium

RAVENSARA

into new

prostaglandin5 basil

terpineole

h!

relatively

Nrvri-theless,

The ,vhole

1,8-cineole,

l,~tr~caryophyllent,

acetate.

the

and

with

and chavicol,

mainly

the immune

svstein.

grows

is has been

complex.

cortex

stimulants

of K. ar~isulu as

K. arornnticn contdins

rather

medicine,

cndomcti-io\is

depresses

whilst

suhstanccs

reputation

bhrrc

anethole

basil 01

in

alternative

that El’0

the

,Also, as ICC all know,

cvcr\

in premenstrual

research

Gt~utioil?

\v\trm.

effective syndrome.

to suppose

that geranium,

oils, or any others,

the two

sesquiterpenes,

I see no reason

can depl-css

for being

wo~~ld \ve

nol bc iiggauting

aess

composition diverse

rosemary

EPO has a

reputation

areas,

the Iitcrus.

or

although

itself. extending

cause

is not

strong,

get a rcpLKation

Endometriosis sc~crc

conditions

particularly

in

and give the

sesquiterpenoids women’s

rvith a higher

weld

~f‘~fx~ce and some editing may be necessary

used to induce

M’h): when

8c Pcnocl

L.‘Aromathe~apie between

varieties

for this reason.

abortion).

hook

distinguish

Inclusion will depend on availability

contractions

were used.

Franchomme their

Both

and GC/ftil

techniques

Readers are invited to submit correspondence

of

chavicol 2, 4

trirnethoxv-hen/ene.

for publication on these @q-es.

which

cause

for

EPO

prostagandins,

methyl

5(2.allyl).1,

GC, %/MS,

of

endometriosis? stimulates

and

primrose

recommended

the treatment

cadinene,

thib oil \\‘a4 fl.onl thC l~mwlctrtcl

in