What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy consists of the inhalation and body application of essential oils that are extracted from aromatic plants. Aromatherapy is used for relaxation, balance, rejuvenation or to enhance or restore body mind and spirit.

Essential oils that are pure are extracted from many parts of the plant such as the leaf, resin, flower, twig, seed, root, rhizome, rind and berry.

Aromatherapy is used to strengthen the process of self healing by stimulating the immune system indirectly. Essential oils are used quite widely and their usage ranges from deep, penetrating therapeutic uses to the very subtle use of a perfume or fragrance.

Many people consider aromatherapy to be ancient, although timely. Many adopt a modern approach to it and consider it being in tune with nature. Aromatherapists blend different essential oils to produce new aromas once they have established their technical understanding of an oil’s constituents.

Aromatherapy provides very individual results for each person. Although there are many general agreements regarding the action that certain oils have, texts from Aromatherapists’ descriptions can vary in an oils properties and characteristics. Similar to medicine, two individual recipients can be affected quite differently by the oil.

Aromatherapy and its uses have been around for centuries. Oils, resins and fragrant plants have been used in their combinations of some form such as ceremonial, pleasurable reasons and medicinal reasons in most civilisations.

Many early trade routes actually derived from perfumes and aromatic plants. Ancient Egypt documents some of the earliest uses of aromatherapy. Papyruses dated back 3000 years contain remedies for many illnesses and similar aromatherapy applications that are still used as remedies today.  

The Ancient Egyptians utilised aromatic plants and their oils to make medicines, massage oils, skin care products, embalming preparations, cosmetics and perfumes.  

The Ancient Egyptians  were not the only users of Aromatherapy. There have been other documents detailing the use of aromatic oils discovered belonging to Ancient Africa, Greece, Baylon, China and Mesopotamia.

The oldest book in China, the Chinese Yellow Emperor Book of Internal Medicine which was written in 2697BC contains information on the properties of over 300 plants.

Aromatherapy’s modern term was coined by the French Chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse in 1928. Another French doctor, Jean Valnet published his own work in 1964 known as The Practice of Aromatherapy.  Robert Tisserand then released a book called The Art of Aromatherapy in 1964 and managed to capture interest in the ancient healing art in America. The art of Aromatherapy and its healing science has become more widely known in the Western world. 

The popularity of Aromatherapy in the West is rapidly being accepted as an alternative or complimentary therapy. It is now a billion dollar business. It is common to find many mainstream doctors in Europe practicing Aromatherapy and health insurance companies are even paying out for aromatherapy treatments.