The Effects of Geranium, Peppermint and Lemon Essential Oils on Corns.
Client Introduction and History: The client is a 75 year old female suffering from corns on the inside of her left big toe and a second corn on the inside of her second toe, causing the corns to rub against each other, generating great pain and discomfort. The corns do not seem to have been initiated by narrow, tight fitting shoes or any injury. The corns have become problematic, and she finds it painful to walk and enjoy normal activities. She does not take any medications. As part of her health maintenance plan, she receives regular chiropractic adjustments.
Essential Oils Selected: Peppermint, Lemon, and Geranium
Botanical Names: Mentha piperita L. var. piperita; Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck; Pelargonium graveolens L’Her sun. Pelargonium x asperum Ehrhart ex Willdenow
Details of Blend: A 3% dilution consisting of x drops of Peppermint, x drops of Lemon and x drops of Geranium was combined in a 1/2 ounce of organic Prunus dulcet (Mill) D.A. Webb (Sweet Almond) oil and a 1/2 ounce of organic Ricinus Communis L. (Castor) oil from Aura Cacia. Sweet Almond oil was selected for it calming, nourishing and protecting properties and because it also contains vitamin E which is an anti-oxidant (Hargis, 2015). It is also anti-inflammatory (Ahmad, 2009). Castor oil was chosen for its ability to cleanse cells, whether applied topically or taken internally (McGarey, 1993). The corn is a swollen area, with something often referred to as a core at its center. The desire is to clear the core area of whatever is there. I also chose to blend the two oils in a 1:1 ratio to promote the absorption of the castor oil more quickly (Kandola, 2018).
Treatment: The blend was placed into a rollerball for easy application to the corns, morning and night. The client was instructed to soak the foot several times a week, and to use something similar to a pumice stone to file down the corn after soaking it. The client also chose to use a flattened cotton ball between the toes to cushion them and decrease friction. She also applied the essential oil blend to the cotton ball before placing it between her toes.
Rationale: According to the sources listed, corns are a thickening of the skin due to pressure and friction, whereas a wart is from a virus (Luo, 2020; Silverberg, 2019). My client’s doctor insisted that her corn was from a virus. In order to assuage my clients concerns, we approached the problem from both perspectives.
Peppermint essential oil’s primary constituent is Menthol (Tisserand and Young, 2014), which is cooling, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and also has analgesic effects with the ability to enhance dermal penetration (Kamatou, et al.2013). The constant friction of the two corns rubbing together could be cooled by the menthol, and hopefully offer pain relief as well. Since the client has a little bit of nail fungus on the big toe, the anti-fungal property would also be advantageous to the client and it is also an anti-viral, addressing her doctor’s comment (Hargis, 2015). Since Peppermint can be irritating to the skin (Hargis, 2015), I was sure to blend it with other oils to not further aggravate the skin that is already compromised and sensitive to the touch.
Lemon essential oil is high in Terpenes, specifically, Limonene, Pinene, and Terpinene which give it the ability to decongest and move things out, thereby reducing swelling (Tisserand and Young, 2014; Gonzales, 2004). My hope is that the Terpenes will also decongest the corn itself. These same constituents may also help to stimulate blood flow to the area as well as move the lymph to promote the cleansing effects (Stiles, 2017). Lemon also has anti-viral properties, again addressing the comment made by the client’s doctor (Hargis, 2015).
Geranium essential oil is in the Alcohol chemical family with Citronellol and Geraniol as two of its highest constituents (Tisserand and Young, 2014). Geraniol has anti-inflammatory properties and is also able to stimulate lymph flow and drainage. It has the ability to reduce inflammation by suppressing neutrophil accumulation of fluid retention in the area where the inflammation is occurring (Johnson, 2015). Since we are unsure of exactly what first initiated the corn’s development, this gives us additional support. Geranium is also known to be excellent for the emotions, especially when there is rigidity and possible discord between the sexes (Hargis, 2015). The client has complained of her own stubbornness and frustration with regards to her husband, which causes much friction in their relationship. This intrigued me. Could friction between spouses erupt into friction between the toes thereby creating corns?
Client Response to Treatment: After using the blend for a week, the client found herself uncomfortable and impatient and asked if anything could be done to intensify and accelerate the benefits of the blend. I added x drops of Poke Root (Phytolacca decandra) tincture to the blend. Poke root is cleansing and stimulates the removal of waste. It can reduce pain, has anti-biotic action, is anti-inflammatory, and a parasiticide in addition to many other characteristics. It is an extremely powerful herb, to be used as a last resort, in a blend, and with great care (Ritchason, 1995). The client noted that her smaller corn started out as softer in texture, which became hardened with the use of the essential oil and poke root blend, and then deflated and sloughed off. The larger corn has gone from soft to hard in texture, and is now flatter and smaller than it was initially. The client is finding it much more comfortable to walk and continues to use the blend, anticipating that this corn will also slough off.
Follow Up and Conclusion: This particular client has been a delight to work with, understanding the many facets to wellness in mind, body, soul and spirit. As we discussed her symptoms, emotions and her past, we looked to information from Louise Hay for additional insight. Louise L. Hay, has written several books based on the premise that our thoughts create what happens to us in our life, including our physical health. According to Hay, corns may indicate hardened areas of thought and the act of stubbornly holding on to pain from the past. The feet may indicate how we understand others, our life and ourselves in general. Problems with the feet may also indicate that someone may have a fear of walking into the future and not moving forward, whereas the toes, may refer to the minor details of the future (Hay, 1998). Body mapping is another such modality involving the emotions, stating that due to the functions of your brain’s hemispheres, the left side may respond to stimulus from your environment and holds your past. It includes your emotions, your memories, your joy and pain (Dushey n.d.). Coincidently, the corns are appearing on my client’s left foot.
When we considered the client’s past traumas and her current situation, the correlation was remarkable. She lives with a veteran, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and uses what my client feels are unfavorable choices for coping and self-soothing. These choices have affected their marriage and their relationship in a myriad of ways.
In this particular case, the corns were not caused by ill-fitting footwear. While working with this client, a neighbor complained of a corn, which also was not caused by footwear or any known injury. The same blend, without the addition of the poke root, worked quickly to eliminate the corn, which peeled off during a bath. I am finding this to be quite interesting and hope to be able to work with several clients suffering from corns to see if we can further ascertain both the physical and emotional causes and the oils required to relieve them.
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