Aromatherapy Book Awarded 2015 ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award

AUSTIN, Texas (February 17, 2016) — The nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC) is pleased to announce that, for the first time, the James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award is being given to a book on aromatherapy. Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare, 3rd edition, was written by Jane Buckle, PhD, RN, and published by Churchill Livingstone.

The ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award was created in 2006 to honor noted economic botanist and author James A. Duke, PhD. It is awarded annually to books that contribute significantly to the medicinal plant-related literature, and the fields of botany, taxonomy, ethnobotany, phytomedicine, and/or other disciplines. Along with his many other prestigious career achievements in economic botany and ethnobotany, and decades of work at the United States Department of Agriculture, Duke has authored more than 30 reference and consumer books. He is also a co-founding member of ABC’s Board of Trustees, and currently serves as Director Emeritus.

Clinical Aromatherapy is the first completely peer-reviewed and evidence-based book on the clinical uses of essential oils. “The book is intended to give an overview of research into the clinical use of essential oils and how they are currently being used in various hospital departments,” said Buckle. “It is intended for health professionals who might be interested in what clinical aromatherapy could add to their practice and any aromatherapist who wants to know about modern research.”

“I am deeply grateful to the reviewers who gave their time and advice so generously and made the book what it is,” Buckle said. “My aim has always been to put the ‘clinical’ into clinical aromatherapy. It is the chemistry of an essential oil that gives it its therapeutic properties and may indicate the safest way to use it.”

Herbalist and aromatherapist Mindy Green reviewed Clinical Aromatherapy in HerbalGram issue 107. “[Buckle] provides an excellent overview of how essential oils can contribute to a healthier medical system, enhancing patient care and lowering medical costs at a critical time in this community,” Green wrote. “[T]his text examines issues within conventional and integrative medical practices with applications relevant to a variety of settings and circumstances…. I highly recommend this book, both as a resource and a highly informative read; the compilation of bibliographic citations alone is significant.”

Mark Blumenthal, ABC’s founder and executive director, similarly praised the work. “Jane Buckle’s book elevates the use of essential oils to a high standard and provides a strong research basis for clinical applications,” he said.

Past recipients of ABC’s Duke Award include: Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge (McGill-Queens University Press, 2014); Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy, 2nd edition (Churchill Livingstone, 2013); Medicinal Plants and the Legacy of Richard E. Schultes (Missouri Botanical Garden, 2012) in the reference/technical category and Smoke Signals (Scribner, 2012) in the consumer/popular category; Healing Spices (Sterling Publishing, 2011) in the consumer/popular category and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia’s Botanical Pharmacognosy (CRC Press, 2011) in the reference/technical category; Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health (Churchill Livingstone, 2010); An Oak Spring Herbaria (Oak Spring Garden Library, 2009); and Mabberley's Plant-Book, 3rd edition (Cambridge University Press, 2008).

The ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award will be presented at the 11th Annual ABC Botanical Celebration and Awards Ceremony on March 10, 2016, in Anaheim, California. The event, for ABC Sponsor Members, occurs during Natural Products Expo West.