What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are distillates from plants that replicate their aroma and taste, or "essence". These oils are extracted from different plant parts, like the seeds, flowers or roots, by distillation or cold pressing [1, 2]. Essential oils are mashups of volatile molecules, phenolic aliphatic and aromatic chemicals, and terpenoids [3, 4]. They are incredibly concentrated – for example, it takes 220 lbs of lavender flowers to make 1 pound of essential oil [1].
What Do Essential Oils Do?
Because they are so multifunctional, essential oils can be used for many things. They are germicidal, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-parasitic, so they could be a source of new therapeutic molecules [5]. They can be used for respiratory tract, digestive, and skin infections, possibly anticancer therapy, and cardiovascular and nervous system disorders [6].
Even essential oils act as antimicrobial agents that kill bacteria, fungi, and viral organisms [7]. They’ve been used in aromatherapy, a form of natural medicine that employs plant extracts for better health and well-being. Essential oils engage receptors in the olfactory brain, modulating mood, pulse, blood pressure, and breathing [1].
The use of essential oils in foods and cosmetics, besides the therapeutic applications, makes food flavoured, fragrances, incense and household cleaners [8]. But as important oils have a ton of potential, they can also come with side effects, and should not be overused [5].
Benefits of Essential Oils
Essential oils from aromatic plants have several benefits. They have been used for centuries across many societies and are recently becoming fashionable as therapeutic remedies [9, 6].
Antimicrobial properties are among essential oils' best qualities. They are found to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, which help them prevent and treat infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria [6, 7].
Nervous system—essential oils can also be helpful. They are antistress, antianxiety, and pain relievers; some even spur neurite formation. They can also change neurotransmitter receptors, with physiological and pathophysiological consequences [9].
Essential oils are not only antimicrobial and nervous system-boosting but also anti-inflammatory.
They can be used for:
Essential oils can increase:
- Sleep
- Stress
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Immunity
They may also help with chemotherapy side effects, pain during labour and digestion [11].
Certain essential oils have shown a specific benefit. For instance, you can get relief from headaches, anxiety, and insomnia with lavender oil, and you can get relief from acne, nail fungus, and warts with tea tree oil. – Peppermint oil can soothe your respiratory system and clear your sinuses; – Orange oil can reduce anxiety and stress [12].
Yet there’s still much that essential oils could do for us, and even more to know about their impact and side effects. Consult a physician before beginning a new treatment protocol with essential oils [7].
What is a Pilar Cyst?
A pilar cyst, or trichilemmal cyst, is an inert skin condition that appears as fleshy moles on the skin's surface. These cysts aren’t often cancerous and most commonly occur on the scalp, but they can appear anywhere on the body [13]. Pilar cysts originate from the epithelial layer of your hair follicles, packed with keratin, a protein that makes skin, hair and nail cells [13].
These cysts are usually firm to the touch but smooth in texture and don’t have pus. They are round and sometimes encircle the skin's surface like a dome. Pilar cysts are usually the same colour as your skin, and it doesn’t hurt [13].
What are the Causes of Pilar Cysts?
Pilar cysts form in the epithelial cells of your hair follicles, and they’re slow to appear. It has keratin inside, the protein that manufactures skin, hair and nails. Over time, the protein accumulates in the hair follicle and gives rise to the bump of a pilar cyst [13].
Pilar cysts, which can be genetic, are often found in middle-aged women. The formation of these cysts is a result of keratin accumulation in the pore, which blocks discharge from the sebaceous glands [14].
Pilar cysts can sometimes be inherited autosomally dominant. Patients with familial pilar cysts usually have multiple lesions in one person [15].
Do Essential Oils Help With Pilar Cysts?
There is insufficient evidence to say that essential oils cure pilar cysts. Studies and articles don't discuss pilar cysts specifically, but they do shed light on how essential oils could work on different cysts.
Tea tree oil, for example, is antimicrobial, destroying bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes. This may be useful for cysts from ingrown hairs, which can result in sebaceous gland infection and cyst formation. But remember that tea tree oil is not a proven cyst remedy and can’t cure every type of cyst [16].
Another essential oil is castor oil, which kills bacteria that cause the skin to produce acne and cysts. But like tea tree oil, it is not a cyst cure and can’t treat every cyst [16].
Other essential oils, such as those of Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare, have been found to affect Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces and cysts. It's important to understand that these are not the same as pilar cysts, as this knowledge can guide your treatment choice [17].
In conclusion, some essential oils might be able to aid some forms of cysts, but there is limited evidence suggesting that they’re effective for pilar cysts.