The medical edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has published the results of a California study on the effects of essential oils on the human endocrine system.
A team of doctors from the University of California and two major state hospitals looked at the medical histories of children with prepubertal gynecomastia (early breast enlargement). In addition, the clinics also conducted experiments, the participants of which were in contact with lavender and other essential oils for a long time.
As a result, the researchers were able to establish that in three girls and a boy, regular contact with lavender or tea tree oil caused a rapid increase in estrogen (female sex hormone) in the body, while on male hormones, the oils had a suppressing effect on their development. When the oil was discontinued, estrogen levels returned to normal.
"We can confidently state that many of the cases of prepubertal gynecomastia are associated with lavender-containing drugs, which are widely used by Hispanic Americans," according to a medical report published by the magazine.
Previously, scientific periodicals have already published works proving the effect of lavender or tea tree oil on breast growth in boys. But abnormal breast growth in girls under the influence of lavender products was noted by scientists for the first time.
It has been found that some essential oils are able to mimic estrogen and, conversely, block the development of testosterone. Tyler Ramsey, a researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health, believes that "it makes sense to prevent their exposure to children" for the normal development of the body's endocrine system.
