Morris always held an abiding belief that when we fully integrated herbal medications in parenteral applications for patient care, we would see a significant improvement in health outcomes around the world.

The beginning of modern pharmacology was medication derived from plant sources. This interface with plant-derived medication was quickly modified by the pharmaceutical industry to shift the focus from plants to designer synthetic chemical analogs of plant derivatives. Thus was born modern drug therapy.

“The great hope of the drug industry to solve our most pressing medical health problems has fallen short. As the drug industry has evolved, we have seen the shining promise of a new, better and healthier tomorrow falter,” says Morris.

Modern medicine has ushered in the era of iatrogenic—physician induced—disease. This is the third largest cause of death in the U.S. Epidemiology has confirmed upwards of 400,000 people in the U.S. die per year as a result of physician errors. Most are drug related. By comparison, the number one cause of death, heart disease, kills about 800,000 per year and number two, cancer, kills about 600,000 per year.

Let’s contrast this data relative to deaths caused by herbal products. In 2004, the FDA banned an herb called ephedra, also known as Ma Huang or Mormon Tea. At its peak in 2004, there were seven deaths attributed to the use of ephedra, an amphetamine-like stimulant. In the majority of cases of injury or death, it can be attributed to drug addicts seeking an alternative or addition to their amphetamine use.

The only other herb of note is kratom. In 2018, there were about 100 deaths attributed to its use, but in only seven of those deaths did the toxicology report contain only kratom. This herb is primarily used by opiate addicts to help them wean off of opiates. It represents a very safe and effective means for addicts to kick the habit. Injury or death has primarily occurred in the addict population trying to use inappropriate and excessive amounts of kratom to get high. Morris believes that kratom should be an integral and essential part of medically supervised opiate detox centers.

Looking at the history of herbal medicine as it applies to injectable forms or applications, it is relatively small. “In my 35-plus years of medical practice, there are less than a dozen herbs I am aware of being used in an injectable form anywhere on the planet. I suspect this is due to the hegemony of the modern medical/pharmaceutical industry,” says Morris.

Several years ago, Morris was presenting a paper at the 7th Scientific Wholistic Aromatherapy Conference. “At that conference one of my co-presenters talked about a clinic he operated in Costa Rica. The only therapy they administered was intravenous essential oils,” explains Morris. “This was my ‘eureka’ moment. Essential oils intravenously? Is it real? Is it safe? How do you do it? This could really be the answer I’ve been hoping and searching for.”

Authentic, unadulterated essential oils are the purest form of herbal extracts. The amount of scientific and medical research data on essential oils is voluminous. At this point, with the help of a biochemical engineer and compounding pharmacist, Morris solved the problem of how to formulate any essential oil for IV applications.

Currently, Morris and his team have been working with eight specific oils. One of the interesting properties of essential oils is that they are all antimicrobial; they are cytotoxic to bacteria, fungus, viruses and parasites. Of course some oils are much more potent than others. “We are currently using IV essential oils for both acute and chronic infections. This can range from systemic candidiasis, coccidiomycosis (valley fever), MRSA and Lyme disease. In one acute Lyme case, after the patient failed three antibiotic series, and now has been well for over three years, after only four daily sequential IV essential oil treatments,” he says.

Primarily, Morris uses essential oils for cancer patients, something he calls “a very exciting and rewarding endeavor”. Most are familiar with curcuma longa, commonly called tumeric. This is a great herb for any inflammation in the body, from joints to muscles, arthritis and hepatitis, but foremost for cancer. Two other herbs Morris is particularly excited about are boswellia (frankincense) and commiphora (myrrh) in their essential oil IV form. In addition to cancer, these are especially good for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, irritable bowel disease and infections. Benefits derived from using essential oils intravenously are significantly magnified compared to topical or oral use.