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Aromatherapy


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What is aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the modern name for the ancient knowledge of healing using fragrant, natural ingredients. These natural ingredients which are found in herbs, plants, flowers, fruits, roots and resins from certain trees and bark are called essential oils.

Traces of many different plants which are known to be of medicinal value have been found by archaeologists in the burial sites of early humans. Early humans will most probably have stumbled across the healing properties of plants, possibly by experiencing different effects from the different bushes which were being burnt, or by experiencing different effects from leaves berries and roots which were gathered.

History

Ancient civilisations used essential oils as part of everyday living. For example the Egyptians used myrrh and cedarwood oils for embalming. The Romans used essential oils more for pleasure but also used them for their healing properties.

Back in the 16th century when printing was invented and books were being published, many people who could read would have had access to these books with recipes for infusions, aromatic waters and infused oils using plants. The women would have made use of these remedies as well as making use of other methods such as lavender bags to protect linen against moths. Herbalists and apothecaries would also dispense many more remedies to cure anything from hair loss to impotency.

Research into the properties of essential oils has been around for many centuries. In the 1920´s, a chemist by the name of Rene-Maurice Gattefosse became interested in the medicinal properties of essential oils. He found that many of the chemical antiseptics that were being added to the products, were not as good as the antiseptics already in the essential oils of the same products. Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burnt his hand during an experiment and plunged it into a vat of lavender oil and found that it helped in the process of healing the wound without blistering. This led him to doing further research into essential oils for their medicinal values. He then went on to make a scientific paper on ´aromatherapie´.

Today

In recent years aromatherapy has been used in many areas and is even used in hospitals; mainly in holistic therapy (a form of treatment which involves dealing with the whole person and not just with the physical condition). A true aromatherapist will look past the physical aspects of essential oils, and will attempt to find balance of mind, spiritual and physical aspects of a person’s health. Essential oils are versatile and each one has more than one healing property which can help to balance, calm and sooth the body and mind.

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