Commonly known as ringworm or wormwood; The disease in which the hair is shed in rounded clusters on the scalp throughout the body, including the head and face areas, is called alopecia in the medical language. Although the disease does not have any contagious or life-threatening danger, it impairs the quality of life and causes social and psychological problems because it adversely affects the appearance of the patient, especially in the visible parts.
The cause of the disease is not yet known exactly, but it mainly occurs as a response of the individual’s own immune system. Depending on stress or a hormonal factor, the immune system sees its own cells as enemies and secretes signal proteins around the hair or hairs, causing them to fall out.
Current treatment options include steroid tablets, creams, injections, or some chemical agents. The success of the treatment depends on the selection of the drug to be used according to the patient; however, there are some risks associated with the use of corticosteroids and other drugs. The most common practice among the public is to apply garlic or kerosene to the area with ringworm. Of course, both applications have their own unique unpleasant odor.
A scientific clinical (randomized, double-blind, controlled) study in which positive results were observed in Aromatherapy applications caught my attention. Eighty-six ringworm patients are divided into two groups and an aromatherapy mixture is applied to one group. The aromatherapy blend has the following composition; thyme essential oil (Thymus vulgaris) (2 drops), rosemary essential oil (Rosmarinus officinalis) (3 drops), lavender essential oil (Lavandula officinalis) (3 drops), Atlantic cedar oil (Cedrus atlantica) (2 drops). The mixture of these essential oils is added to jojoba oil (3 milliliters) and grape seed oil (20 milliliters) as carrier oil and mixed thoroughly.
The Latin scientific names of the plants are important because the compositions of the oils obtained from different plants are different, and their effects are also different. On the other hand, only carrier oil mixture (jojoba and grape seed oils) is applied to the control group. This mixture was applied to the affected area by massaging every day for seven months. Significant improvement was reported in 19 (44 percent) of 35 patients who received an aromatherapy mixture, and in 6 (15 percent) of 28 patients in the control group.
As can be seen, although the carrier oil, which is formed only in fixed oils, has some beneficial effect, the aromatherapy mixture was much more effective. Other positive aspects of aromatherapy application are that there is no risk of side effects, it is not smelly like garlic or kerosene. The most important criteria for successful treatment response in aromatherapy applications are to obtain the essential oils and fixed oils from the right plant species and to be of the right quality. For this reason, products of reliable brands should be obtained from reliable places.
