What is Aromatherapy?

Dating far back before recorded history, humans have always placed great interest in the art of healing. Traces of one curative practice have been found in nearly every major civilization of human history, its importance earning a place in mythology for thousands of years, its credit given to the gods. This mystical practice is the art of aromatherapy.

So, what is aromatherapy? In short, aromatherapy is the process of utilizing different properties of aromatic oils to achieve a healthy life. At its most basic function, people use aromatherapy to induce relaxation however, these "essential oils" can relieve stress, boost metabolism, deep cleanse, and even treat and prevent disease. The oils are either massaged into the skin, entering the bloodstream through surface pores, ingested, or added to bath water.

The oils are extracted from various aromatic plants, ranging from cedar wood to grape seeds to tangerine. Multiple methods of obtaining these oils exist, the best known of which is steam distillation. In this process, the plant material to be refined is set in a machine similar to a pressure cooker, where high pressured steam courses through the plant. The heat and high pressure causes the oil in the plants to evaporate, and then captured in bottles.

Extensive lists guide aromatherapists in their selection of oils for their treatments. Some examples are juniper oils can be used for obesity, ulcers, and urinary infections, but must not be used during pregnancy – petitgrain treats insomnia and depression and also can be used for antiseptic purposes. The uses of essential oils are varied and potent, which contributes to the growing interest in aromatherapy as an alternative medical practice.

Almost as interesting as the practice itself, the history of aromatherapy dates far back, theoretically over 6,000 years ago. Many believe the Chinese to be the first to cultivate aromatic flora for health purposes, mostly burning incense as a means to attaining balance in ones life. Some time after this, the Egyptians discovered a process to extract oils from different herbs and trees which they which they then used for both treating the living and embalming the dead. These distillations were so potent that tombs uncovered today still have lingering traces of aromatic scents, thousands of years later!

The Greeks learned the medicinal value of these oils from the Egyptians, and even the great Hippocrates, regarded by many as the first practitioner of modern medical practices, used various distillations of aromatic plants to benefit the health of the wealthy. Following the Greeks, the Roman Empire built upon the database of herbal knowledge, categorizing the medicinal value of over 500 plants.

These practices continued for many centuries, with the birth of pharmaceuticals in the 1200s. In the 14th century, when the Bubonic Plague wiped out one third of the population of Eurasia, nearly all aromatic perfumers escaped death due to their constant exposure to their products. After a discovery like this, within a few hundred years apothecaries opened selling these magical remedies to the public.

The term "aromatherapy" first became used in 1928 with an accidental discovery by French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse. While researching the medical value of extracted oils, he accidentally lit his arm on fire and ran to the nearest container of liquid to extinguish the flame.

He stumbled across a vat of lavender oil, which he promptly thrust his arm into. To his delight, both for his studies and bodily wellbeing, the oil not only rapidly reduced his pain, but also worked to quickly heal his burn, leaving no scar. With this chance discovery came the birth of modern aromatherapy.