When it comes to essential oils, I like to research and make sure they can benefit my clients needs.

Clients

Someone asked me earlier if she was able to use aromatherapy with anticoagulant medication or should it be avoided?  Now nothing specific sprang to mind, but that wasn’t enough, I need to research a little bit more as I knew she would not be the only person wanting to know this.

Now there are many oils that can help thin your blood, however, if you are on medication using these oils will massively impact the way your medication effects your body.  Plus, it could potentially thin your blood out way too much which could result in a potential haemorrhage.  I am not trying to scare you, just to give an understanding of how powerful aromatherapy can be.

Why do I need to avoid the oils?

The most important oils to be mindful of if you are a Warfarin user are those that contain Methyl Salicylate and Eugenol.  Methyl salicylate is absorbed through the skin and may increase warfarin action by affecting vitamin K metabolism or by displacing warfarin from protein-binding sites.  Eugenol is a known anticoagulant and may potentiate the effects of medication.

Which essential oils should I avoid?

Eugenol is a colourless to pale yellow, aromatic oily liquid extracted from certain essential oils especially from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and bay leaf. It is present in concentrations of 80–90% in clove bud oil and at 82–88% in clove leaf oil. Eugenol has a pleasant, spicy, clove-like scent.

High Methyl Salicylate oils are Birch and Wintergreen.

Other oils that can possibly cause blood thinning are:

Fennel

Marjoram

Thyme

Ginger

Peppermint

Frankincense

Oils that can create clotting (but still not advised to use whilst on medication)

Myrrh, Cypress, Lavender, Geranium, Lemon, Rose and Sandalwood.

It’s a little ironic that the oils we have to avoid are the very oils that have the ability to do exactly what the medication is doing.

I hope this information is helpful to you or someone you know.

Pharmaceuticals aren’t nice but sometimes they are necessary.  Essential oils are powerful…

Always seek to further your education and understanding of these most pure, plant medicines so that you can feel confident in it’s use and in turn, share that knowledge and confidence with others.