aromatheraphy oils

Has the scent of lavender ever made you sleepy? Does the aroma of warm apple pie bring back sweet memories of autumn afternoons in your grandmother's kitchen? If so, then you instinctively understand the basic principle of aromatherapy.

The history of Aromatherapy goes back thousands of years. Although not called Aromatherapy until the early 1900's, Aromatic plants and essential oils were used in biblical times. (Think of the gifts brought to the new born.) Plant oils are mentioned several times in the Bible.

Cleopatra was also known to use essential oils in her perfumery. Ancient Greeks and Romans used the oils in their medical treatments. The Egyptians used aromatic plant essences to treat both physical and mental health problems. In the East, Chinese and India, doctors also knew the therapeutic benefits of plant essences.

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, extracted from plants, trees, and herbs, for therapeutic purposes. Although aromatic plant oils have been used to treat various conditions for thousands of years, the term aroma therapy wasn't coined until 1928, when Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist first used it. Gattefosse had earlier witnessed the curative capabilities of essential oils when he used them to treat wounds during World War I. After the war, he continued to experiment with various oils, and eventually classified them according to their "healing" properties: antitoxic, antiseptic, tonifying, stimulating, calming, and so on. In 1937, he published Aromatherapie, which remains a classic book on the subject (it is available in English).

Marguerite Maury, who built on Gattefosse's work in the 1950s, is credited with developing aromatherapy as a holistic therapy. She was also the first to tailor specific oils to an individual's health needs.

Today aromatherapy utilizes approximately 40 different essential oils, singly and in combination. Generally, they are helpful for treating stress and stress-related ailments, for invigorating the body, and for promoting general well-being. The oils are used in a variety of ways: They can be mixed with a bland carrier oil (such as a vegetable oil) and applied to the skin during a massage; they may be inhaled; or they can be added to your bathwater. You can do aromatherapy at home by buying the individual oils (they're commonly found at health-food stores and pharmacies) or you can visit a trained aromatherapist, who will probably mix up a blend of oils customized especially for you and your condition.

How Does It Work?

A considerable body of research shows that smell, the most acute of our senses, has a powerful influence on our bodies and minds. The scents from essential oils are believed to activate olfactory nerve cells in the nasal cavity, which then send impulses to the limbic system, the area of the brain associated with emotions and memory.

Proponents of aromatherapy believe that the aromatic oils work both emotionally and physically. Emotionally, they may make you feel better by evoking a pleasant memory (the smell of lemons might remind you of a cake a favorite aunt once made, for example). Physically, they may help to relieve certain conditions by stimulating the immune, circulatory, or nervous systems.

Aromatherapists stress that only pure, natural, unadulterated essential oils have true medicinal properties. Perfumes, shampoos, and bath oils scented with herbs may smell wonderful, but they are not intended to be therapeutic.

What You Can Expect

By direct application of the oils to the skin. Massage with aromatherapy oils allows the substances to be readily absorbed into the skin. To make an aromatherapy massage oil, simply add a few drops of an essential oil to a small amount of an unscented carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or safflower oil. Certain oils, such as rosemary, are also used topically to help soothe joint and muscle pain. Always avoid the eyes when applying essential oils to the skin.

By inhaling the scents. Breathing in the intense aromas of essential oils is often recommended for easing congestion due to colds, flu, or chronic sinusitis or bronchitis. For this purpose, an aromatherapist might suggest that you fill a basin with steaming water, add a few drops of eucalyptus or pine oil, and breathe in the fragrant fumes. You can also inhale essential oils by sprinkling a few drops on a handkerchief and breathing in the fumes (keep your eyes closed), or by simply removing the cap from the bottle and taking in the scent. For a less intense but still pleasant effect, some people like to use a special electrical device called a diffuser to disperse microparticles of an essential oil throughout a room.

By adding the oils to a bath. Adding eight to 15 drops of an essential oil to your bath after the water has finished running creates a relaxing atmosphere and allows the oil to seep into your skin. It's best not to use soap in an aromatherapy bath, because it may interfere with the absorption of the oil.

Health Benefits

There is no evidence in the medical literature that aromatherapy on its own can prevent or heal disease. However, several studies have shown its ability to promote recovery in certain conditions and to reduce stress. Researchers at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center recently found that the vanilla-like smell of heliotropin helped patients relax while they were undergoing MRI scans. And a study of patients who had undergone heart surgery found that those who received a foot massage with neroli (orange) oil were less anxious than those who received the same massage with just plain oil.