by Thresia Paulose

Created on: November 13, 2009

Scents are omnipresent. Just sniff a few aromatic plants around you, and you will enjoy the fragrance of the world. It is a fact that fragrance enhances life, whether we are conscious of it or not. The scent of roses or violets that wafts in a spring day or an aroma of a favorite dish or the fragrance of freshly baked bread conjures up smiles in everyone of us that encounters them. There are variety of scents that always throng into our senses even without our conscience. These scents are used to change our mood, fill us with energy , refresh us into action and enhance our health.

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is a medical science that uses the natural extracts called essential oils made from plants and flowers. It is an art of healing that acts through inhaling and massaging and aims at rejuvenating the body, mind and spirit. The different smells or aromas and the chemical constituents of the oils are expected to produce different physical, emotional and physiological reactions.

A Healing System of All Times

The origin of aromatherapy goes beyond prehistoric times taking us back to thousands of years. It has been an alternative treatment practiced all over the world in various ways. It was used in all the ancient medical systems like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, etc. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans resorted to aromatic massage to beautify their skin and tone up their muscles. Massaging with aromatic oils held a great esteem by people all over the world.

Essential Oils the Basis of Aromatherapy

Essential oils are the basis of aromatherapy. They are natural, high quality, pure oils derived from the distillation of the scented plants. These oils have been named after the plants from which they are derived, such as rose, lavender, or yarrow. The are highly concentrated oils. Several pounds of flowers, leaves or plant material are required to make just one pound of essential oil, depending on the plant. More than 200 essential oils are used in aromatherapy.

Three Ways of Utilizing Aromatherapy

1) The first one is to et the fragrance work directly through inhaling. The sense of smell is closely related to the brain and these essential oils work wonder for the people suffering from illness. The essential oils are inhaled for respiratory problems.

2) The second one is to let the aroma in, through physical contact. Aromatic essential oils are used for general purposes, for massaging, therapeutic skin care and bath.

3) Another way of utilizing

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