| |
What is Aromatherapy?
The last twenty years have seen an increase in
complementary healing methods and the use of naturally
derived products such as essential oils. Aromatherapy,
often considered a fringe practice, has now become so
accepted and respected that it is on offer to many
hospital patients as part of their allopathic
treatment. Manufacturers of health products, cosmetics
and perfumes are acknowledging the value of essential
oils to enhance the quality of their products and home
use of oils has risen phenomenally. Current scientific
research into the chemistry and medicinal use of
certain oils has both confirmed and clarified their
healing potential. Cultivation methods, location and
climate, precise knowledge of species, extraction and
distilling techniques have all had an enormous
influence on the resulting oils available to the
public, and all this allows for a more pure and
therapeutic product.
When we peel an orange, smell a rose or crush a stalk
of rosemary, we become aware of the unique scent of
the plant. It is the innermost essential oils or
“lifeblood” that give them their specific smell
and flavor; in profusion as with the orange or in tiny
quantities as with a rose. The tiny droplets of oil in
the cells of the outer peel of the orange are very
volatile and they evaporate easily, infusing the
surrounding air with their well known smell. In
contrast, the aromatic content of a rose is very small
indeed; it will take one ton of petals to produce only
300g of rose oil, the main reason why pure essential
rose oil is high priced. Essential oils certainly both
attract or repel different insects or animals and are
important in the transpiration and life cycle of the
plant, rather like a hormone. Oils are found in all
parts of a plant; seeds, bark, leaves, root, flowers
and resin or gum. They have been used for thousands of
years as incense, perfumes, cosmetics, medicines and
for cooking. They were used in sacred ceremonials of
many cultures; either rubbed on the body, burned or
sprinkled for purification and protection and to
enhance spiritual or psychic awareness. We still see
this today with the burning of frankincense and myrrh
during the Catholic mass. Probably the most famous
associations concerning the first aromatic materials
are those used by the ancient Egyptians. Papyrus
scrolls dating back to 2800 BC describe the use of
many medicinal herbs, fine oils, incense and perfumes;
gums and oils like cedar and myrrh were used to embalm
bodies. Natural aromatics made up one of the earliest
trade items of the ancient world, and were considered
rare and treasured items.
Marguerite Maury (1895 – 1968) was an intelligent
and dedicated woman who did a lot to establish the
validity of the efficacy of essential oils, and set up
the first aromatherapy clinics in Paris, Britain and
Switzerland. She was awarded two international prizes
in 1962 and 1967 for studies on the use of essential
oils in cosmetology and focused mainly on the
rejuvenating qualities of oils. The word
“aromatherapy” was first used in 1928 by
Rene-Maurice Gattefosse who was a French chemist
employed in the family perfumery. One day while
working he burned his hand and discovered by accident
that lavender oil healed his hand rapidly with no
scars. He then found that many essential oils were
more effective in their totality than their synthetic
substitutes or their isolated active ingredients. In
1964, Dr Jean Valnet, a French doctor and scientist,
used essential oils as part of a program successfully
treating specific medical and psychiatric problems.
The word aromatherapy is somewhat misleading,
as it suggests that it is healing that only works
using the sense of smell and on the emotions. However,
aside from the scent, each oil has a combination of
constituents that interacts with the chemistry of the
body which then affects particular organs or systems
as a whole. When oils are used externally as with a
massage oil, they are easily absorbed by the skin (at
different rates depending on the type of oil) and sent
around the body. If you rub a clove of garlic
on the sole of the foot, it can be smelled on the
breath shortly after. Essential oils have three modes
of action as to how they interact with the human body.
Firstly, the pharmacological effect is related to the
chemical changes that occur when an oil enters the
bloodstream and reacts with hormones and enzymes;
secondly, the physiological effect is related to the
way that an oil affects the system of the body such as
being sedated or stimulated and so on; and thirdly,
the psychological effect which happens when an oil is
inhaled and causes a response to the smell.
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of
essential oils. It is a natural approach to healing
and an alternative to the current emphasis on
prescription and over the counter medications.
Essential oils are recognized by their antibacterial,
antioxidant, anti fungal, antiviral and
anti-inflammatory properties. They are effective in
the treatment of many infections and respiratory
conditions. They can improve immune function and
response and help balance the nervous system.
While "aromatherapy" candles, bath gels and
lower grade oils can have a pleasant fragrance and we
can enjoy using them, very few (if any) will have any
true therapeutic value or effect on the body.
True therapeutic essential oils are of a much higher
quality than the commercial grade oils used by perfume
companies and the fragrance industry. Only raw, pure,
therapeutic grade essential oils, that have been
grown, harvested and distilled in the right
environment specifically for this purpose, will have
the healing properties we desire in an essential oil.
Re-distillation is routinely performed by perfume and
fragrance industry to get a more favorable scent, but
this adversely affects the therapeutic quality of the
oils.
Because pure, therapeutic essential oils do have a
physiological, a psychological and a pharmacological
effect on us, it is important to be aware of and to
follow responsible cautions when using therapeutic
essential oils.
By artofaromatherapy.com
|
