Aromatherapy is gaining increasing popularity , and not
only within the field of complementary and natural medicines;
its benefits are beginning to be recognised within the
orthodox medical and particularly the nursing professions.
This site to help the home user make the most of the
essential oils used in Aromatherapy. It is not intended to be
a comprehensive guide to the practice of Aromatherapy, which
requires a thorough professional training. Nor should this
publication be regarded as a substitute for expert advice.
For serious medical symptoms, you should always consult a
qualified medical or complementary practitioner.
However, used correctly, essential oils can be safely
applied to your family and friends at home as an invaluable
aid to relaxation, stress relief, beauty care, and to the
improvement of health and well~being.
Within complementary medicine, Aromatherapy is an
ever~expanding field. There are a number of different
training schools, each with its own particular emphasis. The
information given here has been compiled from several
different sources. It is intended for general interest.
WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY?
Aromatherapy is a natural treatment which uses the
concentrated herbal energies in essential oils from plants in
association with massage, friction, inhalation, compresses
and baths. An enjoyable experience in itself, it also
improves and maintains well-being, health and beauty.
While many massage practitioners and relaxation experts use
essential oils as an adjunct to their work, Aromatherapy is a
holistic treatment in its own right. In the hands of
qualified practitioners it can help to combat a wide range of
physical and emotional problems. It has been shown to be
successful not only in the treatment of stress-related
conditions but also with muscular, circulatory, respiratory,
digestive and skin problems and ailments. And, as this site
describes, it can be used at home for relaxation, health and
beauty care, as an adjunct to other treatment in illness, for
first aid, or simply to enhance the atmosphere at home or
work.
Although the therapeutic use of scented oils, herbs and
incense goes back into the mists of time, Aromatherapy as it
is now known is relatively new. The name was coined by a
French chemist, Rene Gatefoss, author of Aromathrapie (1937),
whose research helped to revive modern interest in the
healing properties of essential oils.
Aromatherapy is a holistic form of healing which works with
the body to promote health. Like other forms of holistic
treatment, such as homoeopathy, Classical Aromatherapy does
not work on the 'magic bullet' principle favoured by orthodox
medicine, in which one chemical or drug is aimed at a
specific disease. In fact, all essential oils have a wide
range of applications.
If you visit a qualified Aromatherapist, he or she will
first discover not only what your symptoms are, but what kind
of person you are. You will be asked about your diet,
lifestyle, and any stresses and strains in your life. Only
then will the practitioner decide which oil or combination of
oils will suit you best, and the choice may change from visit
to visit as your well-being improves. Massage with the oils
forms the major part of the treatment, but the Aromatherapist
may also act as counsellor. and advise on nutrition,
exercise, and other aspects of your health.
AROMAS, HERBS AND OILS THROUGH HISTORY
The use of aromatic materials for healing is as old as time.
The medicinal properties of scented plants, flowers and woods
were known to all the great ancient civilisations including
Egypt, Babylon, China, India, Arabia, Greece and Rome.
The priest-physicians of ancient Egypt used fragrances that
we know today, such as Cedar oil, in medicine, embalming, and
in religious ceremonies. The ancient Greeks, who believed
that perfumes were formulated by the gods, used aromatic
medicines and cosmetics, while the Romans used fragrant oils
in massage. The word 'perfume' itself derives from the Latin
par fumare, incaning 'through smoke'
In many oriental cultures, the aromatic smoke of burning
herbs had and still has religious and spiritual connotations,
representing the prayers of worshippers and aiding the
journey of the departing spirit at funerals. Scented herbs,
oils and incense have also long been used in the Far East for
both religious and medicinal purposes, while American Indians
burn aromatic herbs to create smoke for their healing
ceremonies.
Perfume and ointment makers have been involved for centuries
in healing and promoting well-being. The Arabs, who
specialised in using fragrant and aromatic substances,
rediscovered the art of distilling and were among the first
to use essential oils as we know them today.
In the West, the term 'essential oils' was coined by the
16th-century alchemists who were pursuing the 'quintessence',
or secret of life; the ancient philosophers believed that
there was a quintessential, or fifth, element, which formed
heavenly bodies and pervaded all things. Later, the name was
shortened to essential oils or essences. In 16th-century
Germany a physician called Jerome of Brunswick documented 25
essential oils, all still in use today.
In the late 17th century, when herbs were used to combat
pestilence and disease, herbalists like the famous Nicholas
Culpeper used essential oils including peppermint in their
medicines; in times of plague, people carried pomanders made
with oranges and cloves to mask unpleasant smells and ward
off infection.
The revival of interest in essential oils began in the
1930s, with the French chemist Rene Gatefoss@. He was working
in the laboratory of his family's perfume business, when he
burnt his hand badly. He plunged it into the nearest
available liquid, which happened to be a bowl of neat
lavender oil. Not only did the burn heal astonishingly
quickly, but there was no scarring. Impressed, Gatefoss@
began to research the healing properties of other essential
oils, and published his book Aromatherapic in 1937.
During this period the development of antibiotics and
chemical antiseptics pushed the use of these powerful,
natural oils into the background. Today, however, many people
are disillusioned with synthetic, chemical ingredients in
food, medicine, cosmetics and so on, and we are witnessing a
marked turning towards healing methods that are natural,
safe, and even enjoyable.
In France, Aromatherapy has continued to be developed by the
medical profession. Over 1500 French doctors have trained in
it, and they prescribe essential oils for internal
consumption as well as external use. (This is not recommended
except under qualified supervision.) Research studies in
France and Australia, among other countries, show that the
essential oils used in Aromatherapy have definite therapeutic
properties.
In the UK the use of Aromatherapy is expanding. Today, it
has a growing following not only among complementary
therapists but also in hospitals and hospices, where it is
proving particularly helpful in encouraging patients to
relax. In addition, more and more nurses are training as
Aromatherapists. The use of Aromatherapy in intensive care
and geriatric units and in treating the physically and
mentally handicapped has helped to establish it as a branch
of natural, complementary therapy which has tangible
benefits.
WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?
Most of us are already familiar with essential oils in
everyday life, probably without realising it. Each time we
add spice to a recipe, put mint sauce on roast lamb or crush
a clove of garlic for a salad dressing, we are using
essential oils. Many sweets are flavoured with essential oils
or their derivatives; some liqueurs rely on them for the
characteristic flavours, including aniseed and caraway.
Essential oils, or 'essences', are the most potent form of a
plant's aromatic and fragrant materials. They are obtained,
usually by distillation, from the flowers, leaves, stems,
bark or wood of aromatic plants and trees. For example, for
Chamomile oil the flower heads are used; for Lemon, the zest
of the rind. Mint is made using the whole herb, and
Sandalwood using the heartwood of the tree. Often huge
amounts of raw material are needed to produce just a few
drops of essential oil.
Essential oils are not oils in the everyday sense: they are
not greasy or fatty. They are volatile, highly concentrated
and extremely complex substances, which evaporate quickly
leaving little or no stain. Individual essential oils may
contain many hundreds of chemical components, some in
infinitesimal quantities, which all react together in a way
impossible to reproduce synthetically. Essential oils are far
more than pleasant- smelling perfume oils: they have specific
actions, many of them medicinal. All of them are to some
degree antiseptic, some (such as Tea Tree) quite powerfully
so; some are also anti-viral and antibiotic, and so can help
to combat infections. Others are anti- inflammatory and can
relieve both external burns and inflammatory conditions Many
are very useful in helping to stimulate the body's immune
defence system and can be used not only for convalescence but
also preventively. Many are detoxifying and can help to clear
congestion in the organs and lymphatic system.
Unlike drugs, some essential oils are particularly good at
harmonising states of imbalance. Thus, when you read the
descriptions of the individual oils, you will see that some
have both a tonic and sedative action, according to the state
of the user. Also unlike drugs, many of the essential oils
listed in this site have similar or overlapping properties.
Thus you may find different properties for the same oils
listed in different books.
HOW THEY WORK WITH BODY AND MIND
The newly expanding field of complementary and holistic
medicine recognises the importance of the link between mind
and body: that is, our emotional response to external stress
has a direct effect on the body. How stresses affect us
depends on our own constitution; some people may respond with
ulcers or digestive upsets, some with anxiety and insomnia,
while others may develop high blood pressure. Holistic
medicine takes into account both the difference in symptoms
and the individual stresses underlying them.
Essential oils appear to work on all levels. In massage,
their physical properties penetrate the skin and reach the
bloodstream in infinitesimal quantities to heal our muscles
and organs. At the same time we are receiving their scents
through the nose,. whether through massage or other
applications. It appears that they can activate a deep part
of the brain, which stores memories, and that they also have
an effect on the nervous system so that they can help to
reduce anxiety, for instance - without the side effects of
chemical tranquilisers.
STORING OILS
Always keep oils in the dark bottles in which they are
supplied, in a cool, dry place, away from any substances,
such as homoeopathic medicines, which might be affected by
the aroma. Keep the caps tightly closed to avoid evaporation.
When you make up your own blends, also store them in dark
glass bottles (never plastic), and keep the caps tightly
screwed on. They should keep for three months, stored in a
cool place.