the aromaconnection blog

Saturday Night Lavender Blogging

I found this while Googling bees and lavender to respond to a comment recently added to an old post from dave, who inquired about why bees become docile while on his lavender. He notes that some have died.

Has anyone else observed this phenomenon?

While I was Googling also found this link to Sleepy Bee Lavender Farm in Connecticut. Check out their link page for some good links for lavender growers.

Technorati Tags: lavender,bees,colony Collapse Disorder,sleepy bees

Cropwatch Five Years on

Part 1. Threatened Natural Aromatic Species

Cropwatch came into being around 2003-2004 in order to directly address concerns about the over-exploitation of natural aromatic ingredients, and their over-regulation by officials prone to the excessive influences of lobbyists from the pharmaceutical & chemical industries, from toxicologists & dermatologists, and, as we have learned to our considerable dismay, from various environmental groups. At present Cropwatch remains independent & non-financed, but with a level of popular support which we believe is (conservatively) over twenty times that of any industry-financed organisation. In order to summarise progress over the past 5 years or so of Cropwatch’s activities, we have divided the reporting into two parts: this part reporting on threatened natural aromatic species, and the second (in preparation) looking at the non-transparent world surrounding the over-regulation of our natural aromatic materials.

Threatened species

Since the essential oils industry/aroma trade has generally been either too shy to come clean about its use of commodities from threatened species, or is actually in denial about it, Cropwatch decided to write an article on the subject for the Endangered Species Update magazine in 2003 (see http://www.cropwatch.org/unethical.htm). This was well-received at the time, and article reviews were featured in leading trade magazines such as Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics. Further work challenging individual companies who sell or use commodities from rare or threatened species has been on-going since 2003, with some limited measure of success, but when challenged these companies invariably fake surprise, become hostile or defensive, or plead ignorance.

Our major work in this area is the “Update on threatened aromatic plants used in the aroma & cosmetic industries” now in its corrected, expanded and updated 5th revision (93pp), and Cropwatch has the IUCN’s express permission to quote the Red List Status of the individual aromatic species identified. This 5^th version includes an extended section on natural product status, & a revision of the alphabetical data-base of threatened species, including rosewood oil (see below for URL). Most of the points we need to make at this juncture are contained within this document. In the introductory lead-in, we quote Bobbi Low (2004) from the periodical Threatened Species: “Many problems in managing and protecting endangered species arise not from our ignorance of the species’ ecology, but from human conflicts of interest”.

Nevertheless, to counter any claims of ignorance, and also attempting to cover “human conflicts of interest”, Cropwatch decided to make collected information about threatened species available on its website in the wider public interest. To this end we have constructed an on-going series of periodically updated articles and data-bases, which either provide information on the subject, or point to where it can be found. Topics cover so far can be listed out as follows:

Extensive bibliography on agarwood (1st revision 2008: 35pp): http://www.cropwatch.org/agarbib2008.pdf

Agarwood files – chemistry, botany, microbiology etc. (2004) at: http://www.cropwatch.org/agarwood.htm

Extensive sandalwood bibliography (4^th revision 2008: 67pp): http://www.cropwatch.org/santalum.pdf

Ambergris article (2005) at: http://www.cropwatch.org/ambergris.htm and (2006): http://www.cropwatch.org/ambergrisupdate.htm

A short note on the ecological status of Cedarwood Atlas (2004): http://www.cropwatch.org/cedarwood.htm

Update on threatened aromatic plants used in the aroma & cosmetic industries (5^th revision 2008: 93pp): http://www.cropwatch.org/v105.pdf

Exploited trees: some brief sketches (2006): http://www.cropwatch.org/cropwatch13.htm

Chinese medicine consumes threatened species (2005): http://www.cropwatch.org/tigers.htm

Rosewood sustainability (2004): http://www.cropwatch.org/cropwatch6.htm

Australian sandalwood oil: a tale of spin & hype? (2004): http://www.cropwatch.org/cropwatch2.htm

Documents in preparation include ‘Rosewood oil – the real story’ and ‘Misguided attacks on alternative medicine’ which is intended to include the still unfolding gynecomastia - lavender oil - tea tree oil situation. We are also in the process of preparing a ‘Threatened species in the natural drug trade’ data-base, although this will be a long task. We are always grateful for contributions, corrections or suggestions for any of these items, most of which are-, or intended as-, continuously upgraded living documents.

Sections on sandalwood & agarwood in the “Update on threatened aromatic plants….” particularly, go hand-in-hand with the extensive sandalwood & agarwood bibliographies listed above. You should be able to make your own minds up from some of this data about the claimed sustainability of commodities from certain species, and to learn the identities of some of the companies who are using these commodities.

Adulteration

Another topic that the aroma industry really doesn’t want to talk about is the widespread practice of the adulteration of essential oils and aromatic materials. Cropwatch presented (a subsequently much-plagiarised) account of this practice slightly updated at http://www.cropwatch.org/adulterationupdate08.pdf. Whenever natural aromatic commodities go short – as lemon oil is at present, due to widespread global crop failures – the natural ingredient buyer can particularly expect an increased risk of buying substandard, adulterated or blended material. The failure of the IFRA-RIFM-REXPAN hierarchy to have ever investigated the health & safety aspects of adulterated fragrance ingredients is shameful, and clearly illustrates the limitations & no-go areas for trade-funded, non-independent safety organisations. Unfortunately, the hapless regulators of the profession are almost totally dependent on organisations such as these for direction & technical information. But you would all know that already…….

Tony Burfield

Co-founder Cropwatch

Technorati Tags: threatened aromatic species,Essential Oil Adulteration

Struggles of Honest Aromatic Crops Businessmen in Afghanistan

Yesterday's 'Morning Edition' on NPR featured an heroic effort in the hills of Afghanistan by Shafiq Azizi and his business partners to grow and extract roses and other aromatics as an alternative for the poppy growers who trade in the world-wide heroin industry.  Hoping to set an example, they have expended frustrated efforts and a considerable sum of invested money.  Sounds idyllic, however, Shafiq  and Barnett Rubin (an Afghanistan expert and owner of the company that supports Azizi's efforts) are finding the prospect of legal business in Afghanistan is not so attractive to those already engaged in growing poppies.  Also, the corrupt Afghanistan government is hindering any progress or growth of the rose production for perfumery by soliciting bribes and unduly hindering their operations.  An initial $29,000 investment funded the first rose fields and the building of a commercial still, but major setbacks have the investors backing out.  Hopefully, local entrepreneur Abdullah Arsallah's determination to break the cycle of the drug business, and the willingness of a farmer in a nearby village, Haji Ibrahim, will revive the effort. You can read this complete report by Ivan Watson and view video.  We will attempt to keep an eye on this situation and report further progress.       

Book Review: Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

Medicinal and Aromatic Crops: Harvesting, Drying and Processing Edited by Serdar Oztekin and Milan Martinov. Haworth Press: New York. 2007. ISBN 978-1-56022-975-9.

This book was published in 2007, but we recently obtained a copy for our library and realized that it should be in the library, or on the work desk, of anyone who is involved in the production or processing of medicinal or aromatic plants (acronymized in the book as MAP), or even those who have a curiosity about where essential oils come from or how they are or can be produced.

The book starts out with an excellent introduction to the issues involved in aromatic plant production and sustainability as the agricultural system changes from the previous norm of wildcrafted MAP to the more complicated processes of cultivation and the problems of assuring quality, purity, and safety with the transition from Good Wildcrafting Practices (GWP) to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) which are often unknown to the farmers. There is a good discussion of related environmental issues. One shortfall is that there is no discussion of organic production.

The focus of the book is on mechanization, which the editors claim is generally neglected in the literature and in practice for a variety of reasons, but which should be considered not only to improve production quality  but to improve working conditions for workers. Manual and semi-mechanized methods are not neglected, and renewable energy sources are discussed.

The chapter on Extraction gives a good overview of all the processes commonly used for aromatic plants. The discussion of distillation is illustrated by a thorough description of the production of Turkish rose oil.

A chapter on Industrial Utilization of MAP unfortunately relegates Cosmetics, Perfumery, and Aromatherapy to four paragraphs, with Aromatherapy in a single (short) paragraph, hardly doing justice to the usage.

The book closes with a chapter covering the management of MAP agricultural enterprises and an Appendix discussing a software program that has been developed to assist farmers in the decision making process.

The book is well illustrated with photos and drawings, unfortunately in black and white, and is extensively referenced and well indexed.

Technorati Tags: Medicinal Crops,Aromatic Crops,Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

Notes and News

• P&F has gleaned statistics from Datamonitor on the growth of  the Fair Trade market, stating that "ethical consumerism will increasingly come to the fore as people shop for products they feel akin to politically, ethically and aesthetically."  Aromatic extracts such as essential oils, CO2's and absolutes are not even on the radar screen with the  regulators such as Transfair  and flo-cert.  My report on Cote d'Ivoire cacao production revealed that determining abuses will not be an easy job. The P&F article predicts a 15.7% growth through 2012 for the countries covered, concluding that "transparency and trust will become increasingly important currency in the emerging  'green'  marketplace." 
• Insect repellent products made with  Nepeta cataria should carry a warning to caution people not to use when hiking in areas where Cougars, Lynx, Bobcats or other large cats are present.  All cats (even those big guys) are attracted to catnip, and forest rangers have begun using it to attract Cougars for tagging and research.  All cats will have a physiological reaction to the chemical compound nepetalactone in catnip which has been found to induce a psychosexual response in both male and female cats. One might say that catnip has an aphrodisiac effect, however some cats can be very possessive of their catnip, and some cats have been aggressive after use.  We highly recommend that product manufacturers alert their customers of this potential danger. 
• As reported by Jennifer Minigh, PhD, in ABC's (American Botanical Society) Herbclip, a recent double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial published in BJOG (British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2008) shows that saffron Crocus sativus L. looks promising for treating PMS (premenstrual syndrome).   Using the dried stigma encapsulated, saffron was effective in treating mild to moderate depression via serotonergic mechanisms.  This is likely the first study of saffron's effects on PMS, with 50 women participating ages 24-50 and comparisons to other studies are therefore probably not possible. 
• An upcoming Sandalwood Conference to be held in Kununurra, WA  promises to  "Revolutionize the Global Indian Sandalwood Supply."  Rob blogged about this briefly when news of the crop development and establishment of a production plant in Kununurra came out in December.  This news is creating new excitement, as expressed by Georges Ferrando, from Albert Vieille, who says with a processing plant due to be built in Kununurra next year, the region will become a world leader within five years.  "India is number one in supplying sandalwood oil, but I think very, very quickly, Kununurra will become the supplier number one in the world".  The growers are expecting the first harvest in 2014.  The conference will  present comparisons of plantation-grown Santalum album to that grown in the wild, an overview of the international fragrance market, the uses of naturals in fragrance, setting standards for a reliable supply, as well as cover issues of indigenous participation and environmental responsibilities.  In addition to featured presentations, there will be round table discussions and plantation tours.

Sustainable Development of Aromatic Plants in Laos

Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Medicinal Plants & Spices Sector of the Lao PDR

While searching for something else, I happened across the above-titled paper (.pdf) posted on the website of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). A summary of the publication is available here.

The paper discusses medicinal plants and a number of essential oil species, including Agarwood, Vetiver, May Chang, and Cinnamon. An Annex at the end of the paper includes pictures of the manufacturing process (including the still) for Agarwood. One of the key findings is:

key issues facing this sector at present, include a lack of systematic and scientific approaches to harvesting, specific plans for cultivation and strict enforcement of laws and regulations, weak collaboration amongst concerned authorities (between central and local authorities and between public and private sectors), and limited awareness among rural people on the preservation of biodiversity.

Essentially, they are working on ways to increase medicinal plant and essential oil exports in a sustainable way.

Technorati Tags: essential oils,Laos,Agarwood,Vetiver,May chang,Cinnamon,sustainable development

Givaudan & Those Natural Product Sourcing Media Write-ups

Cropwatch tries hard to cut through the aromatic marketing hype presented by parts of the aroma trade, and to maintain an independent position, on the basis that somebody has to. For example the megacorp Givaudan, which you will remember recently acquired the aroma giant Quest (hence the floods of Quest employees who have been looking for jobs of late), disclosed a bolstered global turnover of € 888 million for 2007. Shortly before we learned of this figure, we also read about a partnership, (dressed up as it was in sustainable & natural product media hype terms, between Givaudan & Mount Romance in Australia, for Australian sandalwood oil supply futures (in spite of the high carbon footprint associated with sandalwood oil production). The negative effects of  sandalwood plantations on the Australian environment have been previously discussed by Cropwatch at http://www.cropwatch.org/cropwatch2.htm which drew for information, amongst other sources, on the fairly forthright & critical report on the W. Australian sandalwood industry by Tonts & Selwood (2002). Considering that land clearance for sheep & wheat farming devastated existing natural Australian sandalwood tree numbers, and caused huge salinity problems for the water table, it makes the trade rag reporting of 'sustainable production' even more laughable. Further, you may recall that Bleimann (2007) spoke for many of us in the aroma trade, when he commented that Sandalwood oil Australian is not a practical replacement for Sandalwood oil EI in perfumery formulae. Mount Romance  are still emphasising the use of aboriginal labour, this time publicising aboriginal sandalwood sourcing. As we mention in the v 1.04 update mentioned above, the MD of Mount Romance was previously associated with crocodile & turtle farming, and even now Mount Romance has a strong connection with emu oil promotion (previously, in 1981, Birkbeck reportedly took charge of a "forgotten peoples" emu company in Wiluna, W. Australia). Opposition to emu farming in Australia by the Australian Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, can be viewed at http://www.rspca.org.au/pdf/B_policystatements.pdf

So, at a time when the cosmetics industry is getting out of animal products (for example, see the shark liver oil saga in v 1.04), just what do the decision-makers at Givaudan think they will achieve with this controversial buying arrangement? Cropwatch predicts (in our humble opinion of course) that the agreement is not exactly going to be ecstatically received by animal lovers, vegetarians, vegans, eco-supporters and perhaps not even by the green movement in general. Unfortunately, Givaudan are not the first to want to get into bed with Mount Romance over Australian sandalwood oil - Aveda have reportedly entered a similar arrangement (see v 1.04 update).  But now we also learn that Lush are reportedly joining the goldrush too, by signing up with the Australian sandalwood producer TFS Corporation, in anticipation of their commercial sandalwood oil production starting in 2011. All this activity is pretty strange, because up to now, the major market for Australian sandalwood oil has been, err, Australia! Further, direct buying by end-users from the producers may well cut out the middle man, but it further reduces the already fragile position of essential oil traders, who serve to buffer the market in times of shortage, provide forward cost-stability under contract, and provide superior ingredient location services to many buyers. It is another sign that the fragrance industry used to be more a professionally run, mutually co-operative endeavour, but now some puffed-up corporate big-shots are pursuing their own individual company agendas to the detriment of all others, which can only fragment & weaken the industry overall. 

Givaudan do seem to have entered a vote of confidence in coumarin's future, however, with the recent announcement of a 3-cornered arrangement for the 'sustainable' sourcing of tonka beans (for the production of tonka bean absolute, a rich source of natural coumarin) between the Criollo people of the Caura basin in Venezuela, the charity Conservation International & Givaudan themselves.

Meanwhile the debate about coumarin toxicity continues, Oko-test (the German consumer organisation's organ) has also run the story on the BfR opinion. We understand (if we have translated correctly) that in another section of the current magazine there is news that highest coumarin content found in a retailed cosmetic products by Oko-test was in a self-tanning lotions (37mg coumarin/Kg) which approximated to a 0.18 mg application of coumarin from one single eight gram application of tanning lotion for the body (per day). This is so far under the TDI that Oko-test recommend the BfR drop the regulation of coumarin in cosmetics altogether (thanks to Kendra for the translation).
Tony Burfield.

Refs:

Bleimann K .(2007) - see http://www.cropwatch.org/Kim Bleimann's lecture.pdf

Tonts M & Selwood J (2002) “Niche Markets, Regional Diversification and the Reinvention of Western Australia’s Sandalwood Industry” Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie 94(5), 564-575.

Technorati Tags: Givaudan,Quest,Mount Romance,sandalwood,emu oil,coumarin,coumarin toxicity

New pepper species found

Indian scientists report  the discovery of a new subspecies of pepper that has an essential oil yield from the fruit of up to 4 times the usual yield of cultivated peppers. With development it could lead to greater production and availability of oil. Not too many details in this article from the Financial Express, but it was found in the wild in the Agasthyamala belt of the Western Ghats in Kerala State.

Probably not much effect on the aromatherapy community right now, but it may bring out a new chemotype of pepper oil.

The pepper species was found by scientists from the Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute in Kerala, which is dedicated to the preservation of the biodiversity in Kerala state. The institute has active research ongoing in Phytochemistry and Ethnomedicine.

Carrot Seeds . . .

Ever wonder what a carrot seed (Daucus carota) looks like under the microscope, before distillation? Check it out here at the National Geographic Photo Gallery. It should be the first picture for 2008.

Carrot Seeds . . .

Ever wonder what a carrot seed (Daucus carota) looks like under the microscope, before distillation? Check it out here at the National Geographic Photo Gallery. It should be the first picture for 2008.

WA sandalwood set to dominate world trade

. . . according to this article, when a new processing plant will be built in Kununurra, Western Australia next year. (And another recent article says the same thing.) The articles refer to "Indian Sandalwood" so presumably this Santalum album and not the S. spicata that is currently being grown in WA. An earlier article states that the first harvest will be in 2012, so perhaps they are being a bit optimistic about taking over the world immediately. Hopefully, if the oil is any good, it will help drive the price down some. 

WA sandalwood set to dominate world trade

. . . according to this article, when a new processing plant will be built in Kununurra, Western Australia next year. (And another recent article says the same thing.) The articles refer to "Indian Sandalwood" so presumably this Santalum album and not the S. spicata that is currently being grown in WA. An earlier article states that the first harvest will be in 2012, so perhaps they are being a bit optimistic about taking over the world immediately. Hopefully, if the oil is any good, it will help drive the price down some. 

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF TEA TREE OIL

The Dr. Howell.net Blog provides an overview of tea tree antimicrobial activity, with several links to previous papers from the mid 90's that conclude that it does have antimicrobial activity.

A simple Google search on the same topic reveals a lot of additional research on the topic. One of the links brings up a number of papers from the Australian government Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

This information becomes increasingly important as there is more publicity about antibiotic MRSA and the number of deaths that are being caused in hospitals. We've previously referenced news articles about aromatherapy and essential oils used to help deal with the resistant organisms.

Modi - making lavender oil 2007

Another Lavender distillation series of photos--this time from Crete.  Reached from a blog that subtitles itself "An irregular, irreverent, post-modern account of the surreal, the ordinary, and the bizarre happenings on and around the Felia lavender farm in Crete," via this post.

Botany Photo of the Day: Ocimum basilicum

The Botany Photo of the day for today is Ocimum Basilicum. This is the standard basil, and they have a link to the Spice Page which has lots of information on all the varieties, with a direct link here to the aroma characteristics.

Mint leaves have global following but not for Oil

The mint crop in central Oregon has shifted from oil production to tea production in recent years, according to an article in the Bend Bulletin. Mint grown in the area is widely sought after for tea, and production for tea is less expensive than production for essential oils. The value of 2006 production was over $1.3 million from 1,136 acres. Many farmers grow the mint, mainly peppermint and spearmint to increase crop diversity and increase overall farm income.

Technorati Tags: mint oils , essential oils , peppermint oil , spearmint oil

Vietnam promotes crassna plantation for essential oil

Vietnam is expanding the land dedicated to the production of  what they call "do tram" which is actually Aquilaria crassna, the tree that is commonly known as Aloeswood, eaglewood, or agarwood, according to a press release on mathaba.net. They currently have more than 10,000 ha (hectares, or 25,000 acres) of do tram trees, and plan to add 30,000 additional ha (75,000 acres). It has been estimated that growers can earn a profit of 100-300 million VND ($6,200 - $18,600 in US$) per ha of do tram trees a year. According to a paper on the Conservation and use of Aquilaria crassna in Vietnam: A Case Study from 2001, the production of do tram in plantations should reduce the pressure on the wild populations, and it can be grown in plantations and is also suitable for under-canopy planting in agroforestry systems. The species has been identified as threatened in Vietnam due to exploitation of wild stocks, and it is on the 2007 IUCN Red List.

This appears to be another example of expecting the income to come soon, while in fact it may be many years before the trees grow to maturity, and in the case of this species, become infected with a fungus that actually produces a resin from the heartwood that is the valuable material that is used in incense and can be distilled into the essential oil called oud or oudh. The Vietnamese plan to transfer the technology for oil production to the farmers by 2010, which seems a bit premature. The wood must be damaged in order to stimulate the growth of the fungus. One seller of the wood claims that the best product comes from trees that are hundreds of years old, but that may just be hype. There has been research done in Thailand to see if mechanical methods can be used to stimulate aloes wood formation, but the results of one study suggest it isn't too successful.

Trygve Harris points out in this post from 2004 that the trees have been planted all over southeast Asia for the last 20 years, with the anticipation that there would be a great income from it--but that in fact the oil produced from the non-infected trees is very poor quality and has little economic value. As she points out in this post about the wild production, the process of wood collection (the best product comes from dead infected trees that have been on the forest floor) and distillation is very complex and time consuming.

So, given the probable increasing rarity of the wild trees, and the difficulties of producing fine quality oil from the plantation grown plants, we can probably continue to expect fine quality agarwood and oud oil will remain rare and expensive. And there will be those who promote the low quality oil as better than it is.

Technorati Tags: aquilaria crassna , aloeswood , agarwood , oud , oudh , vietnam , essential oils , threatened species , do tram , perfumery

Notes and News

• The Diabetes Blog features an essential oil product that is a topical treatment for diabetes neuropathy. "Neuragen is made of a proprietary blend of essential oils from special species of geranium, lavender, bergamot, eucalyptus, and tea tree." Clinical trials have shown it to be effective in 70% of patients for the pain associated with diabetes.
• Per the Salina [KS] Journal, new uses for perfume: "A 13-year-old Salina boy was referred to juvenile court after allegedly spraying an 8-year-old boy with perfume, then igniting the perfume, causing second-degree burns. "
• Another lavender farming Blog with some good pictures of a copper still and more Whidbey Island scenery from Lavender Wind Farm, down the road from Penn Cove Farm.
• Fragrance sales have plummeted in the US despite strong global figures, according to Cosmetics design.com. 2006 sales dropped by 4.5% to $5.9bn, while global sales grew by 6% to around $30.6bn.
• A paper in the International Journal of Cardiology reports the results of a study that showed decreases in serum cortisol levels but no changes in blood pressure or heart rate after Lavender aromatherapy treatments. (Abstract)

Another Lavender Farm link (Blog included)

I seem to have this thing for lavender farms. Today I found one that isn't far away from where we live. And it is actually a blog since they don't have their web site up yet. The blog is Summer at Penn Cove Ranch, and the ranch is near Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Washington (my GPS tells me this is about 37 miles as the crow flies).  They are an organic farm with over 40,000 plants and 15 different varieties. The blog chronicles the entire harvest season from mid-June until at least now with lots of pictures showing the lavender, the processing equipment, and the Whidbey Island scenery.

While researching this article, I also found the Discover Lavender page with links to at least 50 Lavender Farms around the world (I counted 63), and the Discover Lavender Blog, for your culinary delight.

I stole the picture at left from the blog because it shows the lavender, the harvesting, and the scenery. Check it out and enjoy the rest of the blog.

South African Government encourages EO Production

The South African Department of Science and Technology has started an initiative in the Northern Cape to encourage essential oil production for the export market. A distillation plant established in Onseepkans has provided jobs for 34 community members, with 30 hectares of rose geranium planted. Other aromatic plants such as lemongrass, lavender, and peppermint, and indigenous plants such as buchu and Lippia javanica are being considered for future production at the established plant as well as a similar project in nearby Pella.

Sidasoas worker Martin Cloete tends to rose geranium plants in the Northern Cape town of Onseepkans. The plants will be used to produce essential oils, mainly for export markets (Photo: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)

Notes and News

• The price of Rose oil may be increasing more due to 20% reduced production in Bulgaria because of a drought, according to a note in the Sofia Echo. Almost all of the reduced 2007 Bulgarian output has been sold. Bulgaria produces about 50% of the world's production, according to the note.
• An article in NutraIngredients-usa.com entitled "Toxicity of essential oils questioned by Cropwatch" discusses the information presented in the recent August Cropwatch Newsletter. They also, somewhat stupidly in my opinion, point out that "some industry observers claim that there may be ulterior motives behind [campaigns calling for the increased use of natural ingredients], suggesting that the most vociferous of campaigners for the use of natural products are often involved in the naturals market, thereby profiting from their own campaigning." The reason this is a stupid argument is because the reverse is also true; those who argue against the use of natural products are usually involved in the synthetics market. It would make more sense to argue this out based on the facts and science, and not the anonymous ad hominem attacks on the participants. Just who are these "industry observers", anyway? And who are these "Industry players" they also cite? To be fair I should refrain from pointing out that based on the advertisements running on the page with the article, they may be the advertisers for the web site. The article was also published at CosmeticsDesign-Europe.
• The previously mentioned article closes with this ironic sentence: "Furthermore, some industry players have warned against believing all of the science cited in such campaigns, stating that it may draw false conclusions and mislead consumers." It is ironic because the article cites as an example of good science the article suggesting a link between lavender and tea tree oils and abnormal breast development in young boys, which has been challenged by many in the aromatic industry, as readers of this blog will remember.

Notes and News

• The Montreal Gazette reports on lavender growing in Quebec.  Blue Lavende is a major tourist attraction in the Stanstead region, about 100 miles se of Montreal.
• A long and detailed article from Alternet speculates that the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder may be that "the bees [are] simply being worked to death." Based on numerous interviews with beekeepers, it is suggested, among other reasons, that too many hives, particularly from the commercial pollination industry, may be one of the causes.  I remember that when I was keeping bees over 40 years ago that the spacing of apiaries was strictly regulated, and there were also limits on the number of hives in an apiary. The commercial apiarists that have hundreds of hives that they transport around the country may exceed the "carrying capacity" of the natural environment. The article goes into a number of other suggestions for the causes.
• Another article in the July 2007 Discover Magazine looks at research being done by scientists who are trying to find out the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder. A number of theories are being investigated; some were not on the original lists discussed earlier in the blogs and on this blog.
• A note on thedailygreen reports that some members of the CCD Working Group have submitted a research paper to a major peer-reviewed journal suggesting that a virus has been identified that may contribute to CCD. Because of the peer review process, little information will be available until the article is published.

Notes and News

• The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released an action plan for dealing with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), according to an article in the daily green. Or you can link directly to the plan here (PDF). It's not clear how this will be funded (they appear to be reallocating some existing funding). Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has proposed legislation that would allocate $89 million for research into pollinator issues, and she hopes to get it included in the Farm Bill this year.
• The C.A.M. Report cites a study done in Thailand on the physiological effects of rubbing Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) on the skin. The study found that the ylang ylang users had lowered blood pressure and higher skin temperature, and felt more relaxed. This provides support for the use of ylang ylang in aromatherapy to produce relaxation and help relieve depression and stress.
• Speaking of  ylang ylang, Reuters Africa reports that Comoros plans increase ylang ylang production by 33% over the next two years. They have planted 70,000 trees over the last two years that will be coming into production over the next few years. Most of the Comoros production goes to France for use in the perfume and aromatherapy industry. The article also discusses cloves and vanilla, pointing out that prices had collapsed in recent years, but are beginning to recover. The current price of ylang oil is around $184 (90-135 euros). The article claims that Comoros has a near monopoly on the ylang market. European funding has been provided for a reforestation program because of the impact of ylang's 16 hour distillation process, which consumes large amounts of wood.
• The C.A.M Report also cites an article in the August 2007 issue of Cat Fancy magazine pointing out the dangers of certain undiluted essential oils to cats.  Lavender and Pennyroyal are mentioned but there doesn't seem to be much hard data.
• I give up--I'm going to have to report on this one, which has been covered on lot's of blogs, most deriving from pink tentacle.  Pentel, the Japanese pencil manufacturer, has developed an Aromatherapy pencil lead.  Using Nanotechnology (a buzzword for making things 1,000 times smaller than microtechnology) they have encapsulated essential oils in very small bubbles within the pencil lead so that it will have a life of up to 3 years in the unopened package, or 3 months in the open air.  They are currently available in 3 aromatic blends: Refreshing, Healing, and Positive. They will be on the market in September under the brand name "Ain supplio" (at least in Japan). I wonder if they'll have them at Costco? My guess is using these won't stop people from stealing my pencils . . .
• One of those strange blogs that rips off an article from another blog or source on the web, runs it all together without formatting, and publishes it as its own, (seemingly 90% of all aromatherapy blogs) has picked up an article on "A Beginner's Guide to Using Aromatherapy with Children" from the Ezine Articles web site. This and several other articles were written by Misty Rae Cech, ND, who has an aromatherapy web site. My guess is this has been up on the web for some time. Since the Ezine Articles web site has acceptance guidelines similar to those for this blog, I will feel free to link to these articles when appropriate because they are not trying to sell or promote specific products. But we'll link to the original materials if possible.
• The New York Times Travel Section has an article today on the Fragonard perfumerie in Grasse, France, which gives tours.

First Lavender Farm in Colorado

A story on the Denver CBS outlet details how a Nebraska farmer has moved to Boulder County, Colorado and established Colorado's first commercial lavender farm. Click here for video.

Michael Richters has turned five acres of scenic pasture land in Boulder County into a commercial lavender farm with 16,000 plants and 5 varieties.
"The scent is very, very relaxing," Richters said. "It's called Colorado Mountain Lavender. It's much more relaxing than raising 3,000 acres of corn and alfalfa in Nebraska."
For 15 years Richters was a corn farmer in Nebraska before turning to the business side of farming as an investment planner. Then two years ago, he had an idea to grow lavender.

Another article in the local Boulder Daily Camera goes into more details. According to the article they have planted 18,000 lavender plants over 5 acres on Sunday and are expecting results in  a few months! In fact it will probably be about three years before they get much yield. They are working on a web site but it isn't up yet.

While searching for their web site I found an article on growing lavender in Colorado, which reveals that it has been previously grown there, in small plots.  And that led me to an interview with aromatherapist Mindy Green.

Rapeseed (syn. Canola) Revisited.

For a few weeks at about this time of year, parts of England’s ‘green and pleasant land’ turns into a nauseous Day-Glo yellow vista, as farmers submit us hapless country-lovers not only to hideous horizon-wide visual onslaught, but also to our annual toxic gassing of unpleasant volatiles from rapeseed flowers (Brassica napus spp. oleifera) coupled with a seasonal overload of rapeseed pollen.

Uses - bio-diesel & cosmetics.
When the UK crop matures, some of the fixed oil produced is sold for bio-diesel, mainly to Germany, according to an illustrated article in a recent Guardian supplement (Blythman 2007). Elsewhere, it is quoted that some 40-60% of European rapeseed production goes to bio-diesel production (Mudeva 2006); Apart from France, Poland is also among top rapeseed-oil producing countries, its’ output being quoted as 1.49 million tons in 2004  (Krukowska 2004), although UK production is expected to top 2 million tons in 2008 (Blythman 2007).  DEFRA have previously pointed out that 1 ton of rapeseed gives 0.38 tons of rape methyl ester (one possible bio-fuel, besides rape ethyl ester etc.). In other parts of the world, opposition to bio-fuels, especially bio-ethanol, has been vigorous (see Larouchepac 2006), but it hasn’t stopped the Canadian Agriculture minister in 2006 announcing $11 million in funding initiatives for Canadian farmers in biofuels opportunities (N.B. already 40% of the rapeseed grown in Canada is GM, according to Teitel 2001).

Supplementing diesel is apparently in line with the EU commitment to increasing the share of bio-fuelled transport to 10% (Kroeger, 2007), although this has bought criticism from many environmental NGO’s who say the policy will do more harm than good (Anon 2007). Some of these criticisms have been aired in the UK national press, such as the fact that land, which should be primarily set aside for food production, is being raffled off to appease the modern great God: the motor car. In a slightly different area, George Monbiot has criticized the UK government for not disqualifying palm-oil (which he maintains will actually worsen greenhouse gas discharges) from EU-driven bio-fuel targets (Monbiot 2006). True, a public consultation exercise on the bio-fuels policy topic was conducted by the EC (EC 2006), but as usual, the EC was more concerned with policy than practicality, and failed to ask views on the pertinent issues. 

A small amount of rapeseed oil is used in cosmetics, especially in soap-making, as a carrier for fragrances in 100% ‘natural’ perfumes, and as a diluent for candle fragrances, in lamp oils etc.  However considering rapeseed oil’s negative eco-associations above (nitrate leaching, crop spraying requirements etc.) this fragrance diluent usage stops at ‘natural’ perfumes and for obvious reasons does not extend to claims for ‘organic’ perfumes.

Rapeseed oil production – the negative aspects.

Committing a large area of agricultural land to growing rapeseed has a downside. Some of the issues here include:

1. The increased use of harmful crop sprays. Rapeseed is prone to widespread attack from a variety of insect & microbiological predators. An average crop might receive the following sprayings: 3 of herbicides, 2 of fungicides & 2 of insecticides per growing season (Office of National Statistics through Blythman 2007). Insecticides commonly used include glufosinate ammonium & the hormone disruptor vinclozolin.

2. Possible eco-damage. Rapeseed crop production is associated with higher demands for nitrogen & sulphur-based fertiliser application, and excessive nitrate leaching into water sources is associated with rapeseed cultivation, causing localised environmental problems. In addition, decaying rapeseed vegetation (in common with other Brassica spp.) is known to put thiocyanate into the soil (Brown & Morra 1993), & soils treated with defatted rapeseed meal were determined to yield 6µg/g of thiocyanate (Brown et al 1991), although please note that a determined chemical value for thiocyanate, & and its total bioavailability, may differ. Microbiological degradation over several days will offer the principle detoxification route for thiocyanate (Brown & Morra 1993).

However the Canadian Canola Board indicate that breeders of Canola varieties have reduced the glucosinolate contents in rapeseed meal (where the bitter taste of glucosinolates acts as a feeding deterrent). Already they claim Canadian Canola meal has only an average 16µg/mol total glucosinolates (and some years it has been lower than this), compared with traditional meal which contains 120-160µg/mol. Judging by the nitrile & isothiocyanate volatiles coming from flowering rapeseed fields in the UK, this sort of technology hasn’t yet spared UK citizens from their annual gassing. 

3. The GM issue. Monsanto has been amongst those companies producing transgenic rapeseed varieties, modified to be resistant to RoundUp (known in Australia as RoundUp Ready canola). You may remember Monsanto previously hit the headlines when it prosecuted a Canadian farmer, who, it was claimed had allegedly infringed their property rights (wind-blown (?) GM rapeseed plants had appeared on his land). The judge, to the outrage of GM protesters, found for Monsanto (Teitel 2001), and although the case was later reviewed, the court still found for Monsanto (BBC 2004). The EC halted new approvals for GMO’s in 1998 due to intense consumer opposition, but the US filed a complaint at the WTO in 2003, supported by Argentina & Canada. The US action has been widely seen by EU consumers as bullying, and since the FDA has been involved in international GMO promotion, Cropwatch now sees this organization not as a reliable independent health authority, but as an authority hopelessly tainted by political influence.

In 2004 the EU introduced labeling & traceability procedures for GMO’s, but meanwhile the US has proved to be the leading source of global GM contamination. For example between 2001 & 2004 hundreds of tons of maize contaminated with Sygenta’s unapproved transgenic variety Bt10 were distributed world-wide and entered the global food chain, without the US authorities noticing for these  four years…

The EC, in a totally undemocratic move, authorised Monsanto in August 2005 to be allowed to grow the GM rapeseed variety GT73 in Europe for 10 years, going against the wishes of the EU member states, 13 out of 25 of whom had voted against the proposal. The EU Commissioners seem, for unknown reasons, keen to promote GM technology throughout Europe, and are out of touch with the opinions of the majority of EU citizens who maintain a strong anti-GM stance. A more recent evaluation of the safety of GM canola, including the explaining away of increase in liver weights of rats fed GT73 canola, is to be found at FD Govt Au (2007). 

The European Commission just recently authorized the Bayer Chemical Company to be allowed grow three GM rapeseed varieties in Europe for the next 10 years, modified to resist glufosinate ammonium.

And so it goes on….

4. Allergic Reactions
According to my unscientifically-based observations (i.e. talking to some UK GP’s), rapeseed pollen causes untold seasonal respiratory misery for a proportion of the (rural?) UK population, but this fact is apparently disputed by oilseed organizations. The scientific press shows little clear direction on the issue either – just a handful of articles, both for (e.g. Focke et al. 1998; Hemmer et al. 1997) and against (e.g. Guylling 2006) an allergic association. Previously Parrat et al. (1995) had shown in a Scottish study that allergic reactions were not directly related to airborne pollen levels, although Welch et al. (2000) ruled out cross-reactivity with grass pollen. Soutar et al. (1994) investigating 1000 people from the Aberdeen area had suggested the prevalence of symptoms was small and could be caused by chemicals from the crop chemicals. Similarly Murphy (1999) had concluded that rapeseed allergenicity only had a minimal impact on health. An article by Butcher et al. (1994) looked for possible aeroallergens/irritants & identified 22 volatiles from rapeseed flowers.

More recent studies paint a more illuminating picture, however. Children with IgE-mediated allergy to foods often show reactions to rape seeds in skin prick tests (pathways unknown). Puumalaein et al. (2005) have shown that 2S albumins (seed storage proteins) may be responsible for the rapeseed food allergy, and investigations characterising these proteins being investigated by Palomeres et. al. (2002).  More recently, Fiorina et al. (2003) employed an in situ aerobiologic test to detect the presence of a rapeseed allergen, where routine tests had failed, and Hermanides et al. (2006) describe cases of occupational allergy to Brassica pollens.

It seems that science has yet to catch up with UK people’s anecdotal experiences of eye & upper respiratory irritation from rapeseed volatiles or pollen and offer some explanations. Or is there a conspiracy of silence?  An excellent thread from 1996 on the Gentech archive (Gentech 1996) shows examples of academic unawareness (failing to find what published studies there are), UK ministerial indifference (no evidence, but revealed to be simply because of a lack of authoritative studies) and a surprising dearth of North American & Canadian anecdotal symptom reporting, in contrast to the UK experience. The Gentech article also provides 14 references related to allergenicity of rapeseed/rapeseed products – which had proved so hard for some authorities to find (err, no change there then!).

The persistence of public belief that rapeseed cultivation causes widespread seasonal respiratory distress has been remarked upon by Blythman (2007), who maintains (paraphrasing his words) that in the absence of a clear case of  causation, maybe we should own up to the fact that in the UK, we simply don’t like the stuff.

I, for one, am quite willing to own up to that fact.

Refs.
Anon (2007) “Brussels biofuels push met with skepticism.” – see http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment/brussels-biofuels-push-met-scepticism/article-160789

BBC (2004) see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3736591.stm

Blythman J. (2007) “Seeds of Discontent.” The Guardian G2 19.04.07 pp4-8.  See also http://environment.guardian.co.uk/energy/story/0,,2060538,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1

Brown P.D., Morra M.J., McCaffrey J.R., Auld D.L. & Williams III L. (1991) "Allelochemicals produced during glucosinolate degradation in soil." J. Chem. Ecology 17(10), 2021-2034.

Brown P.D.  &  Morra M.J. (1993) "Fate of Ionic thiocyanate (SCN-) in Soil" J. Agric. Food Chem. 1003, 41, 978-982.

Butcher R.D., MacFarlane-Smith W., Robertson G.W., Griffiths D.W. (1994) "The identification of potential aeroallergen/irritant(s) from oilseed rape (Brassica napus spp. oleifera): volatile organic compounds emitted during flowering progression." Clin Exp Allergy. 24(12), 1105-14.

EC (2006) http://ec.europa.eu/energy/res/legislation/biofuels_consultation_en.htm
FD Govt Au - see “GM Canola safety assessment” at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/factsheets/factsheets2004/gmcanolasafetyassess2498.cfm

Fiorina A., Scordamaglia A., Guerra L. & Passalacqua G.(2003) "Aerobiologic diagnosis of brassicaceae-induced asthma" Allergy 58 (8), 829–830.

Focke M., Hemmer W., Hayek B., Gotz M. & Jarisch R. (1998) "Identification of allergens in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) pollen." Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 117(2), 105-12

Gentech (1996): see archive at http://www.gene.ch/gentech/1999/May-Jun/msg00001.html

Gylling H. (2006) "Rapeseed oil does not cause allergic reactions." Allergy 61(7), 895.

Hemmer W., Focke M., Wantke F., Jager S., Gotz M. & Jarisch R. (1997) "Oilseed rape pollen is a potentially relevant allergen." Clin Exp Allergy 27(2), 156-61.

Hermanides H.K., Lahey-de Boer A.M., Zuidmeer L., Guikers C., van Ree R., & Knulst A.C. (2006) "Brassica oleracea pollen, a new source of occupational allergens." Allergy 61(4), 498-502.

Kroeger A. (2007) “Denmark Seeks bio-fuel solutions.”  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6539379.stm

Krukowska E. (ed) (2004) “Polish bio-diesel output seen surging on law change.” – see http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/35623/newsDate/14-Mar-2006/story.htm

Larouchepac (2006) – see http://www.state.sd.us/puc/commission/dockets/electric/2005/el05-022/hearing/pubicmeetingexhbitneson2.pdf

McEwan M., Macfarlane Smith W.H. “Identification of volatile organic compounds emitted in the field by oilseed rape (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera) over the growing season."  Clinical Exptl Allergy 28(3), 332.   

Monbiot G. (2006) – see http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/06/worse-than-fossil-fuel

Mudeva A. (2006) “Food Industry calls for bio-diesel alternatives.” – see
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=35885&newsdate=04-Apr-2006

Murphy D.J. (1999) "Is rapeseed really an allergenic plant? Popular myths versus scientific realities." Immunology Today 20 (11), 511-514.

Palomares O., Monsalve R.I., Rodríguez R. & Villalba M. (2002) "Recombinant pronapin precursor produced in Pichia pastoris displays structural and immunologic equivalent properties to its mature product isolated from rapeseed." Eur. J. Biochem. 269, 2538-2545. 

Parratt D., Macfarlane Smith W.H., Thomson G., Cameron L.A. & Butcher R.D. (1995) "Evidence that oilseed rape (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera) causes respiratory illness in rural dwellers." Scott Med J.  40(3), 74-6.

Puumalainen T.J., Poikonen S., Kotovuori A., Vaali K., Kalkkinen N., Reunala T., Turjanmaa K, Timo Palosuo T. "Napins, 2S albumins, are major allergens in oilseed rape and turnip rape." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 117(2),426-432.

Teitel M. (2001).  “There you go again, Monsanto.” – see http://www.gene-watch.org/genewatch/articles/14-4monsanto.html

Welch J., Jones M.G., Cullinan P., Coates O.A., & Newman Taylor A.J. (2000) "Sensitization to oilseed rape is not due to cross-reactivity with grass pollen." Clin Exp Allergy. 30(3), 370-5.

Blog Profiles: Vetiver Network

In the Aroma industry we are familiar with the aromatic and essential oils aspects of Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) (and in fact there is an extensive blog post here about that).

But what we may not be aware of is that there is an extensive international network dedicated to other aspects of Vetiver--in particular its economic value in preventing erosion throughout the world. There is a web site dedicated to Vetiver, (with an extensive bibliography that includes a number of reference links to the Medicinal and Insecticidal uses of Vetiver).  And there is a Blog.

The latest entry in the The Vetiver Network (International) - TVNI blog is here and talks about the unique roots of Vetiver grass, which tend to grow vertically, developing into a root system that is "massive, deep, penetrating, tough, very fine and producing essential oil as well." The author attributes this to "centuries of selection for essential oil production."

Essential oil: Essential oil extracted from vetiver roots is highly valued for its fragrance in the perfume industry, insecticidal characteristics for termite control and increasingly for its pharmaceutical values. Vetiver oils are so complex that so far they have not been successfully synthesised.

Another post on the Blog suggests that vetiver has a very high carbon sequestration rate. Effectively this means that only FOUR mature vetiver plants would sequester the same amount of carbon as ONE fast growing poplar tree, considered to be one of the most efficient ways of capturing carbon to fight global warming.

A single individuals "carbon foot print" could be negated by planting 50 to 60 vetiver plants in a tropical country (about 8 meters of vetiver hedgerow).

The bottom line is that you won't find a lot of information on this blog about the aromatic features of vetiver, but there is lots of information about the plant and its characteristics and uses. I get the feeling that these "vetivarians" are fanatics--maybe even more fanatical than we are about perfumery or aromatherapy.

Bee Crisis Hearings yesterday

While the rest of us were watching or listening to Mr. Sampson tell all before the Senate Judiciary Committee, what may ultimately turn out to be a more important hearing was held by a House Agricultural subcommittee on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the mysterious syndrome that is affecting the bee population.

As reported previously on this blog this could turn out to be a crisis leading to the end of civilization as we know it. As reported by CNN, the CCD crisis is apparently the culmination of significant decreases in bee populations over the last 20 years.

Over the past two decades, concern has risen around the world about the decline of pollinators of all descriptions. During this period in the United States, the honeybee, the world's premier pollinator, experienced a dramatic 40 percent decline, from nearly six million to less than two and a half million.

In 2005, for the first time in 85 years, the United States was forced to import honeybees in order to meet its pollination demands. [Dr. May R.] Berenbaum says that "if honeybees numbers continued to decline at the rates documented from 1989 to 1996, managed honeybees ... will cease to exist in the United States by 2035."

What isn't completely clear in the CNN article, but was covered at the hearings is that what we know about most are the effects on the domestic bee population. Because we humans haven't yet interacted with the wild bee populations, we don't have any idea whether CCD applies to wild bees, as well as the other various species that are also pollinators. Dr. Berenbaum's opening statement (linked above) goes into this in detail, and also supports increasing funding for the study of pollinators in general (both wild and domesticated).

Below the fold I've posted information about the Committee and the hearings, with links to the Opening Statements of the witnesses.

Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture

Dennis A. Cardoza, (D-CA) Chairman

Jurisdiction: fruits and vegetables; honey and bees; marketing and promotion orders; plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds, and insect pests; and organic agriculture.

Majority	Minority
Dennis A. Cardoza, CA   Chairman Bob Etheridge, NC Lincoln Davis, TN Tim Mahoney, FL John Barrow, GA Kirsten E. Gillibrand, NY	Randy Neugebauer, TX   Ranking Minority Member John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr., NY Virginia Foxx, NC Kevin McCarthy, CA K. Michael Conaway, TX

Thursday, March 29th – 10:00 a.m.
1302 Longworth House Office Building
Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture — Public Hearing.
RE: Review of colony collapse disorder in honey bee colonies across the United States.

Witness List:

Panel I

• Associate Administrator Caird E. Rexroad, PhD, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Diana Cox-Foster, PhD, Professor, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
• Dr. May R. Berenbaum, Professor and Head, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois

Panel II

• Mr. Paul Wenger, First Vice President, California Farm Bureau Federation, Modesto, California
• Mr. David Ellingson, Commercial Bee Keeper, Ortonville, MN
• Mr. Gene Brandi, Legislative Chairman, California State Beekeepers Association, Los Banos, California
• Mr. Jim Doan, Commercial Bee Keeper, Hamlin, New York
• Mr. Richard Adee, Legislative Committee Chairman, American Honey Producers Association, Bruce, South Dakota

Update on Bee Disappearance

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man." - Albert Einstein

The widespread disappearance of honey bees reported here previously has continued, as has media coverage of the issue. An article in Der Speigel has broken this article out in the mainstream media, with widespread blog coverage. A recent more detailed article entitled Mysterious collapse of honeybee populations threatens national food supply on the Newstarget site. An appearance on the CoasttoCoast radio show has resulted in several podcasts featuring Linda from Earthfiles one of which is here. As usual the main stream media have so far pretty much ignored the problem. Even the New York Times article didn't get anywhere near as much followon as "Lavender and Tea Tree cause manboobs," a story with much less ultimate impact.

Various explanations for the bee dieoff include pesticides, GM Crops, or bee diseases but the bottom line is no one knows.

In my previous post I stated that honey bees were responsible for the pollination of many plants, "almost certainly including many aromatic species." I've now done some research online to determine which one are on the list.  Solid information is difficult to find, since even McGregor, supposedly the most authoritative source, isn't sure of the extent that bees are the pollinators and how that affects the production of the plants.  McGregor looks mainly at domesticated species, but does include "drug plants" in general and includes a more detailed discussion of the following plants:

Carrot, Coriander, Fennel, Lavender, Parsley, Anise, Cardamom, Clove, Nutmeg, Allspice, Vanilla, and Dill.

Some of the species on this list are hand pollinated, but there is considerable evidence that at least one species (lavender) shows an increase in essential oil yield when bees are present, presumably pollinating. The lack of presence on this list doesn't mean that a species is not bee-pollinated; it merely means that no one cared enough about the plant to pay attention. So at present we can't tell which essential oils may be affected, but the answer is likely to turn out to be most.

One of the implications of all this is the increasing reliance on single domesticated species in our food chain. So far the information presented discusses the problem with the honey bee, since that is what can easily be noticed by beekeepers.  I have found no current information about the status of native bee species, which are [more likely?] to be pollinators of wild-crafted plants, but this paper from 2002 is about the loss of habitat for native species of bees (I'll bet you didn't even know that there are wild bees, since we all tend to think in terms of the honey bee, which is a European species apparently brought to America in 1620 by colonists.) And it is likely that all pollinating species are affected, not just the honey bees.

With the loss of species diversity we  leave ourselves increasingly vulnerable to the effects of diseases, pollution, or climate phenomena such as global warming. Whether it is our essential oil crops, or our food crops, we could face a future of deprivation.

After I listened to the Podcast and understood its implications, I exclaimed to myself "We are all doomed!". However, as I got out of the car in the driveway last night I heard a bee buzzing nearby, and I thought "well maybe not quite yet . . ."

Endangered Rosewood

Herbalgram #73 contains a major article on sustainable harvesting of the endangered rosewood tree (Aniba rosaeodora)in Brazil.

For the past several years, a group of women in Brazil have struggled to promote and perform sustainable harvesting of endangered rosewood trees.¹ The group, called AVIVE for its acronym in Portuguese (meaning “Green Life Association of Amazonia” in English), was founded in 1999 and is composed of 43 women from the Silves district of the northern Amazonas state of Brazil. These women manufacture and sell soaps and products scented with rosewood oil and other natural aromas, while tending rosewood plantations for future sustainable use. Such practices aim to both reduce local poverty and improve the survival of a species sadly depleted over the years.

The article is long enough and detailed enough to present the entire picture with respect to rosewood, including an email from Chrissie Wildwood arguing "that the organization’s use of IBAMA-donated rosewood oil from heartwood inadvertently promotes the decimation of the species," and requesting that "I only wish they would drop the rosewood oil from their products until such time as the sustainable version of the oil becomes a reality." Chrissie Wildwood's article on her site.

This issue of Herbalgram, The Journal of the American Botanical Council, features Lavender on the cover of the printed edition and in an Herb Profile.

Bog Myrtle is Scotlands Answer to Tea Tree