What is Aromatherapy?
The last twenty years have seen an increase in complementary healing methods and the use of naturally derived products such as essential oils. Aromatherapy, often considered a fringe practice, has now become so accepted and respected that it is on offer to many hospital patients as part of their allopathic treatment. Manufacturers of health products, cosmetics and perfumes are acknowledging the value of essential oils to enhance the quality of their products and home use of oils has risen phenomenally. Current scientific research into the chemistry and medicinal use of certain oils has both confirmed and clarified their healing potential. Cultivation methods, location and climate, precise knowledge of species, extraction and distilling techniques have all had an enormous influence on the resulting oils available to the public, and all this allows for a more pure and therapeutic product.
When we peel an orange, smell a rose or crush a stalk of rosemary, we become aware of the unique scent of the plant. It is the innermost essential oils or “lifeblood” that give them their specific smell and flavor; in profusion as with the orange or in tiny quantities as with a rose. The tiny droplets of oil in the cells of the outer peel of the orange are very volatile and they evaporate easily, infusing the surrounding air with their well known smell. In contrast, the aromatic content of a rose is very small indeed; it will take one ton of petals to produce only 300g of rose oil, the main reason why pure essential rose oil is high priced. Essential oils certainly both attract or repel different insects or animals and are important in the transpiration and life cycle of the plant, rather like a hormone. Oils are found in all parts of a plant; seeds, bark, leaves, root, flowers and resin or gum. They have been used for thousands of years as incense, perfumes, cosmetics, medicines and for cooking. They were used in sacred ceremonials of many cultures; either rubbed on the body, burned or sprinkled for purification and protection and to enhance spiritual or psychic awareness. We still see this today with the burning of frankincense and myrrh during the Catholic mass. Probably the most famous associations concerning the first aromatic materials are those used by the ancient Egyptians. Papyrus scrolls dating back to 2800 BC describe the use of many medicinal herbs, fine oils, incense and perfumes; gums and oils like cedar and myrrh were used to embalm bodies. Natural aromatics made up one of the earliest trade items of the ancient world, and were considered rare and treasured items.
Marguerite Maury (1895 – 1968) was an intelligent and dedicated woman who did a lot to establish the validity of the efficacy of essential oils, and set up the first aromatherapy clinics in Paris, Britain and Switzerland. She was awarded two international prizes in 1962 and 1967 for studies on the use of essential oils in cosmetology and focused mainly on the rejuvenating qualities of oils. The word “aromatherapy” was first used in 1928 by Rene-Maurice Gattefosse who was a French chemist employed in the family perfumery. One day while working he burned his hand and discovered by accident that lavender oil healed his hand rapidly with no scars. He then found that many essential oils were more effective in their totality than their synthetic substitutes or their isolated active ingredients. In 1964, Dr Jean Valnet, a French doctor and scientist, used essential oils as part of a program successfully treating specific medical and psychiatric problems.
The word aromatherapy is somewhat misleading, as it suggests that it is healing that only works using the sense of smell and on the emotions. However, aside from the scent, each oil has a combination of constituents that interacts with the chemistry of the body which then affects particular organs or systems as a whole. When oils are used externally as with a massage oil, they are easily absorbed by the skin (at different rates depending on the type of oil) and sent around the body. If you rub a clove of garlic on the sole of the foot, it can be smelled on the breath shortly after. Essential oils have three modes of action as to how they interact with the human body. Firstly, the pharmacological effect is related to the chemical changes that occur when an oil enters the bloodstream and reacts with hormones and enzymes; secondly, the physiological effect is related to the way that an oil affects the system of the body such as being sedated or stimulated and so on; and thirdly, the psychological effect which happens when an oil is inhaled and causes a response to the smell.
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils. It is a natural approach to healing and an alternative to the current emphasis on prescription and over the counter medications.
Essential oils are recognized by their antibacterial, antioxidant, anti fungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. They are effective in the treatment of many infections and respiratory conditions. They can improve immune function and response and help balance the nervous system.
While "aromatherapy" candles, bath gels and lower grade oils can have a pleasant fragrance and we can enjoy using them, very few (if any) will have any true therapeutic value or effect on the body.
True therapeutic essential oils are of a much higher quality than the commercial grade oils used by perfume companies and the fragrance industry. Only raw, pure, therapeutic grade essential oils, that have been grown, harvested and distilled in the right environment specifically for this purpose, will have the healing properties we desire in an essential oil.
Re-distillation is routinely performed by perfume and fragrance industry to get a more favorable scent, but this adversely affects the therapeutic quality of the oils.
Because pure, therapeutic essential oils do have a physiological, a psychological and a pharmacological effect on us, it is important to be aware of and to follow responsible cautions when using therapeutic essential oils.
By artofaromatherapy.com
http://artofaromatherapy.com/facts.htm
