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The following is reproduced from the US
Patent & Trademark Office website:
| United States Patent |
6,444,238 |
| Weise |
September 3, 2002 |
Pain relief composition and method of relieving pain
Abstract
A pain relief composition and a method of relieving pain in a human body. The
method includes preparing a pain relief composition from a mixture of aloe vera
oil, eucalyptus oil, lemon oil, orange oil, peppermint oil, and rosemary oil.
The method also includes topically applying the pain relief composition to the
human body proximate to where a person is experiencing discomfort.
| Inventors: |
Weise; Richard (Fort Worth, TX) |
| Assignee: |
General Cosmetics Corporation (New York, NY)
|
| Appl. No.: |
522581 |
| Filed: |
March 10, 2000 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
424/736; 424/725; 424/742;
424/744; 424/747 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A01N 065/00; A61K 035/78 |
| Field of Search: |
424/725,736,744,747,742
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4163049 |
Jul., 1979 |
Aubin |
424/59. |
| 4671959 |
Jun., 1987 |
Warren et al. |
424/195. |
| 5223269 |
Jun., 1993 |
Liepins |
424/600. |
| 5236722 |
Aug., 1993 |
Schroeder |
426/67. |
| 5266318 |
Nov., 1993 |
Taylor-McCord |
424/401. |
| 5294434 |
Mar., 1994 |
King et al. |
524/58. |
| 5346697 |
Sep., 1994 |
Tokuyama et al. |
424/195. |
| 5378465 |
Jan., 1995 |
Zeines |
424/195. |
| 5401728 |
Mar., 1995 |
Simon |
514/78. |
| 5587191 |
Dec., 1996 |
Donsbach et al. |
426/66. |
| 5747079 |
May., 1998 |
Hoffman |
426/67. |
| 5855921 |
Jan., 1999 |
Somlyai |
424/600. |
| 5888984 |
Mar., 1999 |
Brown |
514/54. |
| 5997876 |
Dec., 1999 |
Shikhashvili et al. |
424/443. |
Other References
Castleman "The Healing Herbs" Aloe pp. 42-44 Rodale Press
Emmaus, PA 1991. |
Primary Examiner: Lilling;
Herbert J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Patterson, Thuente, Skaar &
Christensen, P.A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A pain relief composition for relieving
pain in a human body, the pain relief composition consisting essentially of a
mixture of aloe vera oil, eucalyptus essential oil, lemon essential oil, orange
essential oil, peppermint essential oil, and rosemary essential oil; wherein the
peppermint essential oil is between about 65 and 84 percent by weight.
2. The pain relief composition of claim 1, wherein the concentration of
aloe vera oil is between about 10 and 18 percent by weight.
3. The pain
relief composition of claim 1, wherein the concentration of eucalyptus essential
oil is between about 0.5 and 5.0 percent by weight.
4. The pain relief
composition of claim 1, wherein the concentration of lemon essential oil is
between about 0.5 and 5.0 percent by weight.
5. The pain relief
composition of claim 1, wherein the concentration of orange essential oil is
between about 0.5 and 5.0 percent by weight.
6. The pain relief
composition of claim 1, wherein the concentration of peppermint essential oil is
between about 65 and 80 percent by weight.
7. The pain relief
composition of claim 1, wherein the concentration of rosemary essential oil is
between about 2 and 10 percent by weight.
8. The pain relief composition
of claim 1, and further comprising calendula essential oil.
9. The pain
relief composition of claim 8, wherein the concentration of calendula essential
oil is up to about 25 percent by weight.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally
to a composition for relieving pain and the use of the same for relieving pain.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a composition that contains
a mixture of essential oils and that is used for treating pain in a human body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As people attempt to accomplish
increasingly accomplish more things both professionally and personally in
specified periods of time, people get frustrated when physical ailments prevent
them from operating near peak efficiencies. For example, many women experience
significant amounts of discomfort at selected times during their menstrual
cycles. Such conditions are often identified as premenstrual syndrome ("PMS").
Conventional pain relievers such as aspirin and acetaminophen have
produced only moderate success in addressing the physical symptoms associated
with PMS. There have been numerous attempts at preparing pain relievers that
exhibit a greater efficacy in treating PMS. However, these treatments do not
produce advantageous results on a significant proportion of the population.
As such, it is frequently necessary for people who suffer from
significant PMS discomfort levels to obtain treatment from a physician who often
must prescribe stronger medications to reduce the discomfort to an acceptable
level. A drawback associated with the use of such stronger medications is that
these type of medications often negatively affect the patient's mental and/or
physical acuity.
In light of the recurring nature of PMS, ongoing
episodes in which a person experiences a significant level of discomfort from
PMS can lead to a noticeable decrease in the person's long-term productivity,
possibly even threatening the person's ability to remain gainfully employed.
In addition to minimizing the use of medications that negatively affect
mental and/or physical acuity, it is also desirable to reduce or eliminate the
use of non-natural medications, as such medications are believed to cause other
less desirable physical ailments such as cancer.
SUMMARY OF THE
INVENTION
The present invention is a method of treating pain in a human
body. The method includes preparing a pain relief composition from a mixture of
aloe vera oil, eucalyptus oil, lemon oil, orange oil, peppermint oil, and
rosemary oil. The method also includes topically applying the pain relief
composition to the human body proximate to where a person is experiencing
discomfort.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the
present invention is susceptible of embodiments in various forms, there is
hereinafter be described presently preferred embodiments with the understanding
that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the
invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments
described.
The present invention is a composition that relieves pain
when applied topically to the human body proximate the location of the pain. For
example, the pain relief composition of the present invention is particularly
suited for relieving pain associated with PMS when the pain relief composition
is applied to the person's abdomen.
The pain relief composition of the
present invention is also useful in treating other physical ailments, such as
muscle strains, muscle sprains, muscle aches, headaches, bruises, arthritis, and
joint pain. Additionally, the pain relief composition reduces swelling when
applied topically in areas of a body where swelling is found.
The pain
relief composition of the present invention is formulated from organically
derived essential oils. As such, the pain relief composition provides consumers
with a technique to reduce the level of pain while not using artificial,
man-made compositions. The organically-derived nature of the composition of the
present invention has substantial value to those individuals who desire to
reduce pain without using artificial, man-made compositions.
The pain
relief composition is substantially a mixture of essential oils. Essential oils
used in preparing the pain relief composition of the present invention include
aloe vera, peppermint, lemon, orange, and rosemary oils. The concentration of
aloe vera oil is between about 10 and 18 percent by weight and preferably
between about 13 and 16 percent by weight. The concentration of eucalyptus oil
is between about 0.5 and 5 percent by weight and preferably between about 1 and
3 percent by weight. The concentration of lemon oil is between about 0.5 and 5.0
percent by weight and preferably about 1 and 3 percent by weight. The
concentration of orange oil is between about 0.5 and 5.0 percent by weight and
preferably about 1 and 3 percent by weight. The concentration of peppermint oil
is between about 65 and 80 percent by weight and preferably between about 70 and
75 percent by weight. The concentration of rosemary oil is between about 2 and
10 percent by weight and preferably about 4 and 7 percent by weight.
The
composition of the present invention also preferably includes calendula oil
(Calendula officinalis), which is derived from the marigold plant. The
concentration of calendula oil is up to about 25 percent by weight and
preferably about 20 percent by weight.
A person of ordinary skill in the
art will appreciate that it is possible to utilize additional essential oils in
the pain relief composition without departing from the scope of the present
invention. One such additional oil is camphor oil, which my be used at a
concentration of up to 5 percent by weight. Another suitable essential oil is
tagette oil.
Aloe vera oil is obtained from the dried leaves of Aloe
barbadensis Miller (Aloe vera Linne).
Camphor oil contains bicyclo
[2.2.1] heptan-2-one, 1,7,7-trimethyl-, 2-Camphanone; 2-Bomanone [76-22-2]
C.sub.10 H.sub.16 O. Camphor oil is preferably obtains by steam distilling chips
of the camphor tree and then purifying the material thereby obtained.
Eucalyptus oil contains not less than 70 percent by weight of C.sub.10
H.sub.18 O (eucalyptol). Other components typically found in eucalyptus oil
include d-a-pinene, globulol, pinocarveol, pinocarvone, and selected aldehydes.
Eucalyptus oil has a specific gravity of between about 0.905 and 0.925 at
25.degree. C. Eucalyptus oil is preferably obtained by distilling fresh leaves
of Eucalyptus globulus Labillardiere or other species of Eucalyptus L' Heritier
(Fan Myrtaceae).
Lemon oil typically contains citral, d-limonene,
l-.alpha.-pinene, .beta.-pinene, camphene, .beta.-phellandrene and
.gamma.-terpinene. The total aldehyde content of lemon oil, calculated as citral
(C.sub.10 H.sub.16 O), is between about 2.2 and 5.5 percent. Lemon oil has a
specific gravity of between about 0.849 and 0.855 at 25.degree. C. Lemon oil is
obtained by expression from the fresh peel of the fruit of Citrus limon (Linne)
Burmann filius (Fam Rutaceae).
Orange oil consists of at least 90
percent by weight d-limonene along with other odorous constituents such as
n-decylic aldehyde, citral, d-linalool, n-nonyl alcohol and traces of esters of
formic, acetic, caprylic and capric acids. The total aldehyde content,
calculated as decanal (C.sub.10 H.sub.20 O), is between about 1.2 and 2.5
percent. Orange oil has a specific gravity of between about 0.842 and 0.846 at
25.degree. C. Orange oil is prepared by expression from the fresh peel of the
ripe fruit of Citrus sinensis (Linne) Osbeck (Fam Rutaceae).
Peppermint
oil contains not less than 5 percent of esters, calculated as menthyl acetate
(C.sub.12 H.sub.22 O.sub.2), and not less than 50 percent of total menthol
(C.sub.10H.sub.20 O), free and as esters. Other components typically found in
peppermint oil include methone, piperitone, .alpha.-pinene, l-limonene,
phellandrene, cadinene, menthyl isovalerate isovaleric aldehyde, acetaldehyde,
menthofuran, cineol, an unidentified lactone (C.sub.10 H.sub.16 O.sub.2), and
amyl acetate. Peppermint oil is distilled with steam from the fresh overground
parts of the flowering plant of Mentha piperia Linne(Fam Labiatae). Peppermint
oil has a specific gravity of between about 0.896 and 0.908 at 25.degree. C.
Rosemary oil contains not less than 1.5 percent of esters calculated as
bornyl acetate (C.sub.12 H.sub.20 O.sub.2), and not less than 8 percent of total
bomeol (C.sub.10 H.sub.18 O), free and as esters. Cineol is present at a
concentration of between 19 and 25 percent by weight. Terpenes d- and
l-.alpha.-pinene, dipentene and camphene, and the ketone camphor also occur in
rosemary oil. Rosemary oil is distilled with steam from the fresh flowering tops
of Rosemarinus officinalis Linne(Fam Labiatae). Rosemary oil has a specific
gravity of between about 0.894 and 0.912 at 25.degree. C.
As a
preliminary step in preparing the pain relief composition of the present
invention, each of the components is put through a subjective quality control
evaluation in which the color, smell and weight are evaluated. These results are
then compared with previous samples of the same components to ensure that each
of the essential oils of the same quality as the previously used components.
Next, each of the components is separately filtered to remove any
particulate matter contained therein. Filtering is preferably accomplished by
passing the components through a Grade 2 filter.
The components are then
warmed to a temperature of between about 30 and 40.degree. C. and preferably
between about 35 and 38.degree. C. so that each of the components is at
approximately the same temperature. Providing each of the components at
approximately the same temperature when the components are mixed eliminates or
significantly reduces undesirable interactions between the components.
The order in which the components are mixed is also believed to play an
important role in preparing a stable composition. The components are mixed
together based on the hydrophil content. The components with the highest
hydrophil content are mixed together first followed by the components with the
lower hydrophil content.
The hydrophil content of the essential oils
used in producing the pain relief composition tend to vary based upon several
factors including the location in which the plant that was used to produce the
essential oil was grown. As such, the hydrophil content should be monitored with
each group of materials.
The hydrophil content is preferably determined
by evaluating each material in a gas chromatograph. Typically, peppermint oil
has the highest hydrophil content of about 40-45 percent. The hydrophil content
of rosemary oil is typically about 18. The hydrophil content of eucalyptus oil
is typically about 11 percent.
After the addition of each component, the
mixture is sufficiently mixed so that the mixture is substantially homogeneous.
The temperature of the mixture is monitored to ensure the temperature of the
mixture is still within a desired temperature range. If necessary, the mixture
is heated to bring the temperature of the mixture with the desired range. The
mixing process is repeated until all of the components have been mixed into the
composition.
When used for treating the pain associated with menstrual
cramps, the pain relief composition of the present invention is applied to the
patient's abdomen about 3 to 4 times a day. An amount of the pain relief
composition used is selected based on the desired application area so as to
provide a relatively thin layer of the pain relief composition over the entire
affected area.
The pain relief composition of the present invention is
described with reference to the following examples. These examples are provided
as an illustration of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of
the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
A pain relief composition was prepared
using the components and concentrations set forth in Table 1. The components
were subjectively evaluated for color, smell and weight. Each of these
characteristics was found to be of a satisfactory level. The components were
then filtered through a Grade 2 filter. Next, the components were each heated to
a temperature of between 35 and 38.degree. C. using a water bath.
TABLE 1
Concentration
Component (weight percent)
Aloe Vera oil 5
Camphor oil 3
Eucalyptus oil 1
Lemon oil 1
Orange oil 1
Peppermint oil 84
Rosemary oil 5
The peppermint oil was found to have the highest hydrophil content
and, as such, was the first component used in formulating the mixture. The
rosemary oil was mixed at the specified concentration with the peppermint oil to
prepare a homogeneous mixture. The process was then repeated separately mixing,
in order, aloe, camphor, lemon and orange oils at the specified concentrations.
After the addition of each component, the mixture was sufficiently mixed to
prepare a substantially homogeneous mixture.
The pain relief composition
was applied to the abdomen of a female who was experiencing a significant amount
of discomfort associated with PMS. Within a short period of time after the pain
relief composition was applied to the person's abdomen she noted a significant
reduction of the discomfort associated with PMS. The reduced level of pain
continued for more than 4 hours.
EXAMPLE 2
A pain relief
composition was prepared using the components and concentrations set forth in
Table 2. The components were subjectively evaluated for color, smell and weight.
Each of these characteristics was found to be of a satisfactory level. The
components were then filtered through a Grade 2 filter. Next, the components
were each heated to a temperature of between 35 and 38.degree. C. using a water
bath.
TABLE 2
Concentration
Component (weight percent)
Aloe Vera oil 15
Camphor oil 3
Eucalyptus oil 1
Lemon oil 1.5
Orange oil 1.5
Peppermint oil 73
Rosemary oil 5
The peppermint oil was found to have the highest hydrophil content
and, as such, was the first component used in formulating the mixture. The
rosemary oil was mixed at the specified concentration with the peppermint oil to
prepare a homogeneous mixture. The process was then repeated separately mixing,
in order, aloe, camphor, lemon and orange oils at the specified concentrations.
After the addition of each component, the mixture was sufficiently mixed to
prepare a substantially homogeneous mixture.
The pain relief composition
was applied to the abdomen of a female who was experiencing a significant amount
of discomfort associated with PMS. Within a short period of time after the pain
relief composition was applied to the person's abdomen she noted a significant
reduction of the discomfort associated with PMS. The reduced level of pain
continued for more than 4 hours.
EXAMPLE 3
A pain relief
composition was prepared using the components and concentrations set forth in
Table 3. The components were subjectively evaluated for color, smell and weight.
Each of these characteristics was found to be of a satisfactory level. The
components were then filtered through a Grade 2 filter. Next, the components
were each heated to a temperature of between 35 and 38.degree. C. using a water
bath.
TABLE 3
Concentration
Component (weight percent)
Aloe Vera oil 15
Calendula oil 4
Eucalyptus oil 1
Lemon oil 1.5
Orange oil 1.5
Peppermint oil 72
Rosemary oil 5
The peppermint oil was found to have the highest hydrophil content
and, as such, was the first component used in formulating the mixture. The
rosemary oil was mixed at the specified concentration with the peppermint oil to
prepare a homogeneous mixture. The process was then repeated separately mixing,
in order, aloe, lemon, orange and calendula oils at the specified
concentrations. After the addition of each component, the mixture was
sufficiently mixed to prepare a substantially homogeneous mixture.
The
pain relief composition was applied to the abdomen of a female who was
experiencing a significant amount of discomfort associated with PMS. Within a
short period of time after the pain relief composition was applied to the
person's abdomen she noted a significant reduction of the discomfort associated
with PMS. The reduced level of pain continued for more than 4 hours.
From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and
variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope
of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is to be understood that no
limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or
should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims
all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
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