by Lynda Kohn

Created on: August 25, 2010

The main emphasis of this article is on essential oils and aromatherapy.   However, before I get to the main part of my writing I think a brief introduction and basic information on aromatherapy is needed.  I am writing for a complete newbie, somebody who knows nothing of this alternative health modality.  It is not a detailed report. It is meant to familiarize the reader with the, if you'll pardon the expression, essentials of the therapy of using plant scents for medical purposes.  

What is Aromatherapy?  It is treatment using scents.  In this case pleasant smelling plant scents.  It is specifically the utilization of essential oils.  The  technique is used for physical, emotional, balancing the person using it.    Aromatherapy is using different plant chemicals from various herbals for health purposes.  Different botanics are chosen for different purposes.   For example, a stimulating smell such as cinnamon would not be good for somebody looking to be calmed.  Or vice versa. Different herbals serve different purposes.  It is important for the aromatherapist to choose the right plants.  This holds true if you're performing this therapy yourself and not using a professional.  

 What is its origins, theories, practices.  

The French chemist Rene Marice Gattefosse  inadvertently discovered that lavender oil offered quick relief from his burnt hand.  The year was 1910.  He suffered a burn in the perfume factory where he was employed as a chemist.   As they say in French; Voila! Modern aromatherapy was born.    His Gattefosse's aromatherapy book is considered the first modern work on the subject.  His Gattefosse Aromatherapy foundation still exists in France.  Being in extreme pain he quickly looked for the nearest liquid to put his pained hand in.  It happened to be lavender.   The rebirth of aromatherapy was discovered serendipitously.

I say rebirth because this type of healing technique was first practiced by the Ancient Egyptians. Among other things, essential oils were used for preservation in Egyptian mummies.  Chemist Avicenna first distilled essential oil of rose in the 10th century.  The use of medicinal botanicals go back millenniums to many different cultures world wide.  Humans first started using plants for medicinal purposes thousands of years ago. 

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