MARCO VALUSSI
Teacher and Consultant
DAY 3
18/2/24
I began my journey with plants reading Forestry at Padua University before transitioning to London where I earned my diploma in Aromatherapy and Bodywork by ITHMA, and then my BSc. (Hons.) in Herbal Medicine from Middlesex University. From that period I retain a keen interest in the History of Medicine (the subject of my final dissertation) and in the History of Science. Back in Italy, after practicing for a few years as a clinical herbalist, I branched into education and consultancy roles within the herbal and essential oil industry, started working both as a teacher and as a consultant for the herbal and essential oil industry.
As an NGO consultant, I contributed my expertise in developing countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This invaluable experience focused on extraction and distillation methods, eventually inspiring me to establish a distillation business and collaborate with small producers globally.
Wearing my other hat I have been involved in academic teaching at some of the Italian University Masters (as well as in some on-line aromatherapy programs in Canada and the US) in the field of toxicology, clinical herbal medicine and aromatherapy, extraction and distillation technologies, and scientific methods. This has given me the opportunity to contribute some 17 peer-reviewed articles on herbal medicine, and of the clinical use of essential oils, and lately, with my colleagues Pascale Frennet, Didier Pesoni and Davide Donelli, to work on an exhaustive systematic review of all the published research on the antiviral activity of essential oils.
I have published a university textbook on the bases of essential oils science, a layperson’s guide on buying and using essential oils, and a textbook on aromatic materials. Currently, I am engaged in a collaborative effort with a Nepali essential oil company, focusing on enhancing production quality and efficiency. Simultaneously, I am working on the establishment of the first registered Nepali Aromatherapy School, contributing to the growth and development of the industry.
My researcher’s website: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9108-848X
