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 What
is Aroma Therapy?
The word "Aromatherapy" conjures up images of people magically
alleviating their depression or insecurities with wonderful
scents. Aromatherapy is much more than that. Incorporating aromatherapy
into your life enhances your overall health, beauty, and psychological
well being. Aromatherapy can reduce stress, enhance your complexion,
treat an annoying skin irritation, and eliminate a stomachache.
A healing art which uses the essential oils of aromatic plants,
trees and flowers to promote health of body and serenity of
mind.
It's the essential oils within plants that give them their characteristic
smell and flavour. When we smell the delightful fragrance of
jasmine flowers in the early evening, open a cedarwood box and
inhale its woody smell or add the zest of a lemon to a drink,
it's the essential oil that we are enjoying.
Essential oils may be found in different parts of the plant
in the petals (rose), leaves (eucalyptus), roots of grass (vetiver),
bark (cinnamon), heartwood (sandalwood), citrus rind (lemon),
seeds (caraway), bulbs (garlic), the avail or top parts of the
plant (marjoram) or resin (frankincense) and sometimes in the
more than one part of the plant for e.g. the orange tree produces
3 different smelling essences with different medicinal properties
- neroli from the flowers petitgrain from the leaves and orange
oil from the rind of the fruit.
History and Origin
The use of essential oils goes back to ancient civilization
almost 3000 years BC where they were used not only for their
wonderful aroma and beauty care, but also for their preservative
and healing properties and for their immediate connection
with higher spiritual beings, in prayer and as offerings to
god.
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The survival of the Egyptian mummies
bears witness to the extraordinary preservative powers
of plant essences. When Tutankhamun's tomb was opened
in 1922, the air was permeated with essential oils.
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Aromatics were also used in ancient
skin care regimes and Cleopatra was known to add many
different oils to her bath to preserve her beauty.
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The revival of interest in essential
oils began in 1930's when a French chemist Rene Maurice
Gattefosse badly burned his hand and plunged it immediately
into a bowl of lavender oil which was the nearest liquid
at hand, not only did his would heal quickly but there
was no scarring either. His interest was sparked and
he started research on the therapeutic uses (the healing
powers) of essential oils and was the first person to
use the term 'Aromatherapie'.
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The idea of combining essential oils
with massage is credited to the Austrain born Cosmetologist,
Marguerite Maury, who also devised the 'individual prescription'
essences, which were chosen according to the physical
and emotional needs of the recipient.
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