Aromatherapy and How It Works
Aromatherapy dates back to the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans and has been used in the production perfumes, cosmetics and medicinal purposes.
The ancients all understood that the sense of smell is very strong and the fragrance of certain flowers and herbs, were healing (physically and mentally), stimulating, energizing, refreshing or relaxing and sleep inducing.
Aromatherapy is, and always has been, an form of health and medicine that is based on a more holistic approach to dealing with physical and emotional health problems. It is a completely natural, non-invasive (does not require surgery, etc) treatment and looks at the person as a whole ('holistic') as opposed to just isolating the problem and treating it.
After the invention of the distillation process, which how most oils are used today, in ancient Egypt, the Greeks, Roman and many across many countries in the Mediterranean the peoples experimented with a number or herbs, flowers and almost anything the produced a scent.
An essential oil is one which is made by distilling it with either water or steam or by processing it mechanically (especially in the case of citrus rinds) or by dry distillation of natural materials. After the distillation process, the essential oil becomes physically separated from the water phase.
Moving forward to the 1920’s in France, a chemist who was extremely interested in the medicinal qualities of essential oils, severely burned his hand in an explosion in his laboratory, and plunged his hand into a vat of lavender oil – which led to his hand being healed incredibly fast – in just a matter of hours – leaving no infection or scars.
This led the chemist to develop oils for dermatological purposes and he delved much deeper into research of essential oils. He published his scientific paper on ‘aromatherapie’ which is where the term first bore it’s name, and published a book of the same name in 1928.
Today the uses of essential oils continues being studied and researched.
There are a vast array of conditions for which Aromatherapy has provided relief and beneficial results. These include:
Treating skin care complaints such as dermatitis, acne, eczema, psoriasis, cellulite, varicose veins and stretch marks, to name but a few.
Aromatherapy can also provide benefits to emotional problems such as: depression, hysteria, lack of concentration, irritability, panic attacks, Insomnia and moodiness, amongst others.
Aromatherapy has been known to treat: burns, bruises, sprains and strains, asthma, bronchitis, flu, muscular aches and pains, skin inflammation and digestive problems such as constipation.
The most common ways to use aromatherapy and essential oils are
- Massaging (usually blended with a carrier oil) - You can add 3 drops of an essential oil to every 6ml of massage base oil or moisturizing lotion. Essential oils may be combined for additional benefits.
- Added to bath water - Add 3 to 6 drops of essential oil to your bath water. While you are bathing make sure you breath the healing aroma.
- Candle and Diffusers - The essential oil may already be in the candle, if so just light it. If you have a diffuser add a few drops of essential oil to the water in the bowl of an oil burner. As the water heats up, the oil will vaporize and gentle fill up the the air around you.
- In a compress around the shoulders, neck, etc.
The old adage in aromatherapy is "less is more" and this is especially true with children or infant, use 1/2, 1/3 or even 1/6 of what an adult would use.