What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a modem name for the ancient knowledge of healing and’ improving health using fragrant natural ingredients. These ingredients, called essential oils, are found in herbs, plants, flowers, fruits and the bark, roots or resin of some trees.
Essential oils give the aroma to the plant, but they also contain dozens of complex chemicals that seem to do everything from beautifying skin or speeding healing to putting you to sleep or numbing a headache.
Even if you think you have never come across these oils before, all of us ate affected by them each day. Every time you peel an orange, the essential oil squirts out of the tiny pockets in the peel and, because it is so volatile, instantly evaporates into the air releasing its bitter-sweet, tangy, citrus smell. And whether you notice or not, the orange oil has a refreshing but relaxing effect.
When you take flowers to someone who is ill in hospital you are using aromatherapy to help them feel better. The essential oils that give the smell to a bouquet of jasmine, roses, geranium, and lavender, for instance, all contain chemicals that relax the nervous system and instantly improve spirits.
When you use pure essential oils though, the beneficial properties are more concentrated, and have a greater effect on both mind and body than you get from just sniffing a bunch of flowers. So learning how you can use these essential oils will give you the means to be healthier, happier and more in control of every area of your life.
About This Post
Aromatherapy is not intended as a substitute for traditional medical treatment. More accurately, its an extension of a long-established practice of treating medical conditions with plants found in nature. Today’s aspirin evolved from experiments with the byproduct of the spirea plant at the Bayer & Co dye factory.
An enterprising chemist, Felix Hoffman, synthesized the first acetylsalicylic acid, known from earlier research to treat rheumatism successfully. We’ve cured cold symptoms for generations with Vicks Vaporub, whose main ingredients are synthetic forms of mint (menthol), laurel tree (camphor), and eucalyptus (eucalyptol), in addition to cedar leaf, nutmeg and pine oils. Coca Cola was originally marketed as a ‘nerve tonic,’ containing various essential oils of citrus and spices.
Aromatherapy, like all healing, is both a science and an art, providing a fascinating but sometimes overwhelming study. Basically, essential oils are aromatic molecules removed from plant material – petals, leaves, twigs, seeds, needles, wood, resin and rind. Knowing the basic jargon of aromatherapy is the first step in understanding the remarkable way essential oils are used to treat ‘whatever ails you,’ physically, cosmetically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Following are basic terms and concepts to help wade through a plethora of botanical and pharmacological data, which at times might seem confusing and contradictory. They are listed in alphabetical order for easy reference.