Historical Insights
Geranium flowers grow in many gardens throughout the United States and around the world. This fragrant perennial plant, taxonomically identified in the genus Pelargonium, is known for its distinctly powerful leafy-rose scent. There are over 250 natural species of Pelargionium with hundred of hybrids and thousands of cultivars (variety produced by selective breeding). Although commonly known as geranium, there is genus with the same name. The genus Geranium and the genus Pelargonium share the same family (Geraniaceae) but they are different from one another in their cultivation as well as their botanical features. Species of plant in Geranium are known to be hardy and can grow almost anywhere. Pelargonium species on the other hand are specifically cultivated and are of great commercial value. They can also be distinguished by their differing flower patterns.
Although geranium has been used for thousands of years going back to the Greeks and Romans, it was not until the late 17th century that this plant, indigenous to South Africa, was introduced to Europe. Soon after European introduction hybrid cultivars were created and distributed around the world. During the Victorian era, potted rose geranium was often kept in parlors in order to revive the senses. Another Victorian practice was to place geranium leaves in finger bowls at formal dining tables. Today, as in Victorian times, the most widely used Pelargonium species is Pelargonium grave lens, or rose geranium. The essential oil of rose geranium is prized by aroma therapists and cosmologists alike. P. graveolens is used in aromatherapy for its medicinal applications such as an antiseptic, as a haemostatic (stops bleeding), a tonic to regulate the nervous system, a diuretic (to treat edema) and a hormone balancer. In the perfume industry, rose geranium oil is often mixed in or even replaces the more expensive rose petal essential oil. Cosmologists also use this aromatic oil in lotion, soaps, shampoos and creams. One might presume that geranium essential oil comes from the flower alone, yet it is the leaves and branches where the oil glands are found and through a process of steam distillation the oil is extracted. In order to increase the yield of oil during this procedure, processors will often partially dry the plant.
The first geranium plants grown for the French perfume industry were planted in Algeria in 1847 and then in the 1880s extensive plantations were established in Reunion - an island in the Indian Ocean governed by France. Geranium oil is also cultivated in other parts of the world for its commercial value such as China, Egypt, Russia and Central America. The oil from China is thought to be similar to that of Reunion (known as Bourbon), while the Egyptian geranium is quite different. This is due to various soil and climatic conditions. The Bourbon variety, with its rich aroma, is considered to be the most important of the geranium oils.
Geranium Oil May Bring Hope to Hospitals
In the last decade there has been a rise in attention given to antibiotic-resistant microbes, especially ones that cause severe infectious diseases and lead to fatality. On the first day of this new year of 2010, researchers from the National University of Ireland in Galway announced to the world that disinfectants can cause bacteria to resist antibiotics. Their study, published in the January 2010 issue of Microbiology, looked at the response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to increasing levels of disinfectant. (P. aeruginosa is a bacterium that is a known occupant in hospitals, causing a wide range of infections in hospital patients. Standard hospital procedure is to use a surface disinfectant to prevent the spread of bacteria. If bacteria manage to survive and in turn infect patients, then antibiotics are administered.) The researchers found that P. aeruginosa adapted to increasing levels of disinfectant and even developed a resistance to an antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) without being exposed to the drug directly. More specifically, the researchers revealed that the bacteria had created a more efficient means of pumping out the antimicrobial agents (such as disinfectants and antibiotics) through their cell wall and developed a mutation in their DNA to resist ciprofloxacin-type antibiotics specifically. With such findings, the researchers concluded that such bacterial adaptations could be of great harm to hospital patients and advised to reconsider how disinfectants are used in hospital settings.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is wide-spread in soil and water and any surface in contact with soil or water. Yet, it is an opportunistic microbe and will only infect a compromised host or tissues of that host that have been compromised in some way. It is an epitome of an opportunistic host in humans. If a person's immune system is compromised, it can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory system infections, dermatitis, soft tissue infections, bacteremia, bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections and a variety of systemic infections, particularly in patients with severe burns and in cancer and AIDS patients who are immunosuppressed. As seen above, P. aeruginosa can be a serious threat to patients in hospitals, especially patients with cancer, burns and cystic fibrosis. The case fatality rate in these patients is near 50 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the overall prevalence of P. aeruginosa infections in US hospitals is approximately 4 per 1000 discharges (0.4%). According to one report, the gastrointestinal infection rates among hospitalized patients increases to 20% within 72 hours of admission. With such findings, it is clear that other solutions must be found.
There is a potential solution to this growing concern of current hospital antimicrobial practices. In a 2006 study conducted by Loyola College in India (BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006 Nov 30; 6:39) researchers found that geranium oil (along with several other essential oils) exhibited strong activity against selected bacterial strains, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Other bacteria strains shown to be affected by the in vitro (outside a living organism, usually in a test tube or Petri dish) application of geranium oil were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia , Proteus vulgaris and Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.
Conclusion
Geranium, a common plant found in many gardens, is also of historical and now medical significance. Its traditional uses are well accounted and its therapeutic actions used for centuries. The pharmacological and clinical studies of geranium essential oil are steadily increasing. It is no small concern that individuals seeking hospital care are greatly threatened by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Medical researchers are currently investigating alternatives to conventional microbial treatments, with great attention given to the antibacterial properties of essential oils. It is clear that modern medicine must confront its limitations and refer back to plants and how they have developed a system of defensive antimicrobial chemicals over millions of years. - 30427
Geranium flowers grow in many gardens throughout the United States and around the world. This fragrant perennial plant, taxonomically identified in the genus Pelargonium, is known for its distinctly powerful leafy-rose scent. There are over 250 natural species of Pelargionium with hundred of hybrids and thousands of cultivars (variety produced by selective breeding). Although commonly known as geranium, there is genus with the same name. The genus Geranium and the genus Pelargonium share the same family (Geraniaceae) but they are different from one another in their cultivation as well as their botanical features. Species of plant in Geranium are known to be hardy and can grow almost anywhere. Pelargonium species on the other hand are specifically cultivated and are of great commercial value. They can also be distinguished by their differing flower patterns.
Although geranium has been used for thousands of years going back to the Greeks and Romans, it was not until the late 17th century that this plant, indigenous to South Africa, was introduced to Europe. Soon after European introduction hybrid cultivars were created and distributed around the world. During the Victorian era, potted rose geranium was often kept in parlors in order to revive the senses. Another Victorian practice was to place geranium leaves in finger bowls at formal dining tables. Today, as in Victorian times, the most widely used Pelargonium species is Pelargonium grave lens, or rose geranium. The essential oil of rose geranium is prized by aroma therapists and cosmologists alike. P. graveolens is used in aromatherapy for its medicinal applications such as an antiseptic, as a haemostatic (stops bleeding), a tonic to regulate the nervous system, a diuretic (to treat edema) and a hormone balancer. In the perfume industry, rose geranium oil is often mixed in or even replaces the more expensive rose petal essential oil. Cosmologists also use this aromatic oil in lotion, soaps, shampoos and creams. One might presume that geranium essential oil comes from the flower alone, yet it is the leaves and branches where the oil glands are found and through a process of steam distillation the oil is extracted. In order to increase the yield of oil during this procedure, processors will often partially dry the plant.
The first geranium plants grown for the French perfume industry were planted in Algeria in 1847 and then in the 1880s extensive plantations were established in Reunion - an island in the Indian Ocean governed by France. Geranium oil is also cultivated in other parts of the world for its commercial value such as China, Egypt, Russia and Central America. The oil from China is thought to be similar to that of Reunion (known as Bourbon), while the Egyptian geranium is quite different. This is due to various soil and climatic conditions. The Bourbon variety, with its rich aroma, is considered to be the most important of the geranium oils.
Geranium Oil May Bring Hope to Hospitals
In the last decade there has been a rise in attention given to antibiotic-resistant microbes, especially ones that cause severe infectious diseases and lead to fatality. On the first day of this new year of 2010, researchers from the National University of Ireland in Galway announced to the world that disinfectants can cause bacteria to resist antibiotics. Their study, published in the January 2010 issue of Microbiology, looked at the response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to increasing levels of disinfectant. (P. aeruginosa is a bacterium that is a known occupant in hospitals, causing a wide range of infections in hospital patients. Standard hospital procedure is to use a surface disinfectant to prevent the spread of bacteria. If bacteria manage to survive and in turn infect patients, then antibiotics are administered.) The researchers found that P. aeruginosa adapted to increasing levels of disinfectant and even developed a resistance to an antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) without being exposed to the drug directly. More specifically, the researchers revealed that the bacteria had created a more efficient means of pumping out the antimicrobial agents (such as disinfectants and antibiotics) through their cell wall and developed a mutation in their DNA to resist ciprofloxacin-type antibiotics specifically. With such findings, the researchers concluded that such bacterial adaptations could be of great harm to hospital patients and advised to reconsider how disinfectants are used in hospital settings.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is wide-spread in soil and water and any surface in contact with soil or water. Yet, it is an opportunistic microbe and will only infect a compromised host or tissues of that host that have been compromised in some way. It is an epitome of an opportunistic host in humans. If a person's immune system is compromised, it can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory system infections, dermatitis, soft tissue infections, bacteremia, bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections and a variety of systemic infections, particularly in patients with severe burns and in cancer and AIDS patients who are immunosuppressed. As seen above, P. aeruginosa can be a serious threat to patients in hospitals, especially patients with cancer, burns and cystic fibrosis. The case fatality rate in these patients is near 50 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the overall prevalence of P. aeruginosa infections in US hospitals is approximately 4 per 1000 discharges (0.4%). According to one report, the gastrointestinal infection rates among hospitalized patients increases to 20% within 72 hours of admission. With such findings, it is clear that other solutions must be found.
There is a potential solution to this growing concern of current hospital antimicrobial practices. In a 2006 study conducted by Loyola College in India (BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006 Nov 30; 6:39) researchers found that geranium oil (along with several other essential oils) exhibited strong activity against selected bacterial strains, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Other bacteria strains shown to be affected by the in vitro (outside a living organism, usually in a test tube or Petri dish) application of geranium oil were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia , Proteus vulgaris and Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.
Conclusion
Geranium, a common plant found in many gardens, is also of historical and now medical significance. Its traditional uses are well accounted and its therapeutic actions used for centuries. The pharmacological and clinical studies of geranium essential oil are steadily increasing. It is no small concern that individuals seeking hospital care are greatly threatened by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Medical researchers are currently investigating alternatives to conventional microbial treatments, with great attention given to the antibacterial properties of essential oils. It is clear that modern medicine must confront its limitations and refer back to plants and how they have developed a system of defensive antimicrobial chemicals over millions of years. - 30427
About the Author:
The author believes flower essences are an excellent companion to essential oils. Learn more about flower essences, essential oils and botanical medicine online.
