Aromatherapy

One could say that aromatherapy is as old as man’s relationship to the plant kingdom and so the beginning of aromatherapy is shrouded in the mists of time. Detailed recipes using aromatic compounds are given in the Old Testament and well sealed urns filled with aromatic resins have been unearthed in the tombs of Pharaohs.  Extensive therapeutic use of essential oils is recorded in ancient China and India and much of the Middle East. Roman soldiers on campaign had their wounds treated with honey and myrrh. Terra Cotta distillers have recently been found in archaeological digs, but widespread use of distilled essential oils from Europe began after the invention of glass distillation mechanisms in the 16th century and this opened the door to extracting the volatile components from Chamomile, Lavender and Rosemary and other plants found mainly in the northern regions. 

Certainly before the late 1800’s, the essential oils themselves were harder to get and more highly prized than they are today. The increase in trade routes and conquest in war brought many of the essences and in some cases the plants themselves to new homes in new countries.  A prime example is the oil of Frankincense. Called Olibanum in the East and used in spiritual ritual, it was brought to Europe during the Crusades and given the current common name which means “the true incense.”  Orange trees and other citrus are thought to originate in China and the East, brought back to Spain and Italy by explorers.

The popular use of essential oils and herbs for therapeutic purposes became eclipsed by the development of the microscope and the ability to isolate certain bioactive compounds and reproduce them synthetically.  The most common example is the herb White Willow Bark; replaced by the synthetic form of this plant’s pain relieving compound, salicylic acid, which we know as aspirin.  Synthesized compounds may be greater in strength than naturally occurring plant material and there is no need to rely on growing seasons and other issues that affect crops.  Whether this is a total improvement is debatable. 

The modes of application of aromatherapy include:

• Aerial diffusion: for environmental fragrance or aerial disinfection

• Direct inhalation: for respiratory disinfection, decongestion, expectoration as well  as psychological effects

• Topical applications: for general massage, baths, compresses, therapeutic skin care

Aromatherapy Benefits

Essential oils are powerful tool that may alter, shift, change and adjust mood, emotion and physical issues. It has been historically known to help alleviate stress, skin irritations, depression and anxiety.  All 100% pure essential oils are antibacterial.  They vary in other properties such as antiviral, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and so on. 

Aromatherapy is the treatment or prevention of disease by use of essential oils. Two basic mechanisms are offered to explain the purported effects. One is the influence of aroma on the brain, especially the limbic system through the olfactory system. The other is the direct pharmacological effects of the essential oils.

Olfaction Process
Essential Oils have historically been shown to calm and relax emotions as well as enhance focus, attention and memory. To understand this, first it is best to be familiar with the olfaction process.  The nose is a protrusion of the brain.  Scent enters the body in less than 1 second and travels to the pituitary and hypothalamus to tell your body how to respond to a situation.  It will help to relax or stimulate.  This message is then sent to the rest of the body via the nervous system.  Scent actually dictates how we taste.  It is the only sense that does not have to go through the digestive tract or spinal cord to be processes.  It immediately goes to the brain and elicits a response. It is also important to note that Richard Axel and Linda Buck (both from the USA) won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of odorant receptors and their relationship to the organization of the olfactory system.