Xu Fenghao, Uebaba Kazuo, Ogawa Hiroko, Tatsuse Takeshi, Wang Bing-Hong, Hisajima Tatsuya, Venkatraman Sonia
University of Toyama, Presymptomatic Health Promotion, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama City, Japan.
J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Oct;14(8):947-56. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0240.
Ayurvedic oil-dripping treatment, Shirodhara, involves the use of medicated herbal sesame oils. In our previous reports, we found that Shirodhara with plain sesame oil induced anxiolysis and an altered state of consciousness (ASC) in healthy subjects. We studied the pharmaco-physio-psychologic effect of Shirodhara with medicated sesame oil including an essential oil from Lavendula angustifolia (lavender) in the present study. Sixteen (16) healthy females (38 +/- 8 years old) were assigned at random to three treatments applied by a robotic oil-dripping system: plain sesame oil (plain Shirodhara), medicated sesame oil with a 0.3 volume % of lavender essential oil (lavender Shirodhara), or the control supine position. Psychophysiologic parameters including the heart rate, skin temperature of the dorsum of hands and feet, as well as anxiety and ASC were monitored, and the rates of change of these items were calculated to assess the psychophysiologic changes brought about by Shirodhara. Lavender Shirodhara showed potent anxiolytic and ASC-inducing or promoting effects, and induced the largest increase in foot skin temperature. The correlation between anxiolysis and ASC, as well as the correlation between these psychologic effects and the elevated foot skin temperature were larger in the lavender Shirodhara than in the other two conditions. It was speculated that the psycho-physiologic effects of lavender Shirodhara would be brought about by three mechanisms: (1) the well-known relaxing action of essential oils from L. angustifolia mediated by olfactory nerves, (2) the pharmacologic action of substances absorbed through the skin or mucosa in the sesame oil or lavender essential oil, and (3) the physiologic effect of sesame oil dripped on the forehead induced by the somato-autonomic reflex through thermosensors or pressure sensors in the skin or hair follicles via the trigeminal cranial nerve. The complicated pharmaco-physio-psychologic action of Ayurvedic oil treatment may provide a useful model for future pharmaco-physio-psychotherapy.
阿育吠陀滴油疗法，即希罗达拉疗法，使用的是药草芝麻油。在我们之前的报告中，我们发现用纯芝麻油进行希罗达拉疗法可使健康受试者产生抗焦虑作用并改变意识状态（ASC）。在本研究中，我们研究了用药用芝麻油（包括来自狭叶薰衣草的精油）进行希罗达拉疗法的药理 - 生理 - 心理效应。16名健康女性（38±8岁）被随机分配接受由机器人滴油系统进行的三种治疗：纯芝麻油（普通希罗达拉疗法）、含0.3体积％薰衣草精油的药用芝麻油（薰衣草希罗达拉疗法）或对照仰卧位。监测包括心率、手脚背部皮肤温度以及焦虑和意识状态改变等心理生理参数，并计算这些指标的变化率以评估希罗达拉疗法带来的心理生理变化。薰衣草希罗达拉疗法显示出强大的抗焦虑和诱导或促进意识状态改变的作用，并使足部皮肤温度升高幅度最大。薰衣草希罗达拉疗法中抗焦虑与意识状态改变之间的相关性，以及这些心理效应与足部皮肤温度升高之间的相关性比其他两种情况更大。据推测，薰衣草希罗达拉疗法的心理生理效应将通过三种机制产生：（1）由嗅觉神经介导的狭叶薰衣草精油的众所周知的放松作用；（2）通过芝麻油或薰衣草精油中的皮肤或粘膜吸收的物质的药理作用；（3）通过皮肤或毛囊中的热传感器或压力传感器经三叉神经躯体自主反射，在前额滴入芝麻油所产生的生理效应。阿育吠陀油疗复杂的药理 - 生理 - 心理作用可能为未来的药理 - 生理 - 心理治疗提供一个有用的模型。
