What on Earth is Aromatherapy???
Ask most people this question and you will likely get a response something like: “Aromatherapy is using things that smell good to make you feel relaxed or happy”. You might also hear even more people say that it’s a bunch of BS and doesn’t really work.
Guess what? Aromatherapy is real AND it WORKS! Not only that, but it’s ability to affect the mood is only scratching the surface of the ability of plants and essential oils to work within the body. Notice I didn’t say the HUMAN body. Because Aromatherapy can, indeed, be extremely beneficial to our animal friends as well (More about that another time).
Guess what? Aromatherapy is real AND it WORKS! Not only that, but it’s ability to affect the mood is only scratching the surface of the ability of plants and essential oils to work within the body. Notice I didn’t say the HUMAN body. Because Aromatherapy can, indeed, be extremely beneficial to our animal friends as well (More about that another time).
In order to really put my answer into perspective, you really have to look, at least a little ways, into the past. While the use of aromatic plants and extracts for medicinal purposed dates back more than 5000 years,“modern” aromatherapy as it is practiced today is a relatively young practice.
I suppose it all started with a man named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who was the son of a french perfumer. He grew up around plants and aromatics in the late 1800’s.
I suppose it all started with a man named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who was the son of a french perfumer. He grew up around plants and aromatics in the late 1800’s.
In the early 1900’s, he joined forces with his brother, Jean, a chemist and botanist to research exotic plants. While studying these exotic plants in Morocco, Rene and his brother learned how the local peasants used essential oils for medicinal purposes.
In 1910, Rene was involved in an explosion that resulted in his hand being extremely badly burned. Try as he might, with the help of allopathic (traditional) medicine, he developed gangrene. Feeling that he had nothing to lose, he took what he had learned about lavender essential oil from the moroccan peasants and began treating his gangrenous wounds with Lavender essential oil. You know what? It worked! It not only helped heal his wounds, but it decreased the pain and inflammation! It was after this experience that he really began to delve deeper into the medicinal properties and uses of other essential oils. He continued to work with hospitals and other medical practitioners and write articles on his findings on the clinical uses of essential oils throughout the 1930’s. It was Rene who coined the term “aromatherapie” in his book published in 1937 entitled, “Gattefosses Aromatherapy”.
In an attempt to avoid boring you to tears without answering the question I’ll cease with the history lesson and simply end this segment with my opinion that the history of aromatherapy is fascinating. The way it has evolved in different countries based on how it was received (or not) by the mainstream scientific and medical field is really eyeopening. Today, the view of the use, safety and efficacy of essential oils in the US is VERY different from how it is received in say, France. OK. That’s enough for the history lesson for today. I’ll save the rest of the fascinating history of aromatherapy for another day.
Based on this history as well as Gattefosses work, we can safely say that Aromatherapy is: The medicinal use of authentic and pure, plant-derived essential oils for the benefit of an individuals physical, mental and emotional health.
Aromatherapy, like other complimentary holistic health approaches, looks at the whole person, not a symptom or ailment.
Many of you know, some may not, that many of todays pharmaceuticals were actually partly derived from plants! The problem is, you can’t patent nature. Pharmaceutical companies therefor came up with the idea to copy the main component, the ‘active ingredient’ if you will, in the plant and synthesize it, change it, ever so slightly and add other synthetic ingredients so that it is no longer nature. Herein lies the fundamental problem and shows the lack of true understanding by science of how plants work. Plants are made up of hundred even THOUSANDS of chemical components that work in harmony together. The presence of this many components is one of the reasons that bacteria does not become resistant to herbs and essential oils such as they do with antibiotics. They are too complex and ever changing. The plant, like the bacteria and UNLIKE the pharmaceutical is ALIVE. It changes from plant to plant, day to day, season to season and year to year.
There are many ways to reap the benefits of aromatherapy: you can diffuse them into the air, apply them topically and in many instances, take them internally or, in my daughters case, build castles with them!
How Can Aromatherapy Help Me?
People who complain if these issues and so many others have found benefit from using aromatherapy to promote/restore health and well being to their lives:
In an attempt to avoid boring you to tears without answering the question I’ll cease with the history lesson and simply end this segment with my opinion that the history of aromatherapy is fascinating. The way it has evolved in different countries based on how it was received (or not) by the mainstream scientific and medical field is really eyeopening. Today, the view of the use, safety and efficacy of essential oils in the US is VERY different from how it is received in say, France. OK. That’s enough for the history lesson for today. I’ll save the rest of the fascinating history of aromatherapy for another day.
Based on this history as well as Gattefosses work, we can safely say that Aromatherapy is: The medicinal use of authentic and pure, plant-derived essential oils for the benefit of an individuals physical, mental and emotional health.
Aromatherapy, like other complimentary holistic health approaches, looks at the whole person, not a symptom or ailment.
Many of you know, some may not, that many of todays pharmaceuticals were actually partly derived from plants! The problem is, you can’t patent nature. Pharmaceutical companies therefor came up with the idea to copy the main component, the ‘active ingredient’ if you will, in the plant and synthesize it, change it, ever so slightly and add other synthetic ingredients so that it is no longer nature. Herein lies the fundamental problem and shows the lack of true understanding by science of how plants work. Plants are made up of hundred even THOUSANDS of chemical components that work in harmony together. The presence of this many components is one of the reasons that bacteria does not become resistant to herbs and essential oils such as they do with antibiotics. They are too complex and ever changing. The plant, like the bacteria and UNLIKE the pharmaceutical is ALIVE. It changes from plant to plant, day to day, season to season and year to year.
There are many ways to reap the benefits of aromatherapy: you can diffuse them into the air, apply them topically and in many instances, take them internally or, in my daughters case, build castles with them!
Emily taking her morning Ningxia Red. An antioxidant rich essential oil infused supplement drink.
How Can Aromatherapy Help Me?
People who complain if these issues and so many others have found benefit from using aromatherapy to promote/restore health and well being to their lives:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Memory
- Attention
- Focus
- Headaches
- Muscle and joint aches and pains
- Varicose veins
- Environmental allergies
- Support during cancer treatment
- Pregnancy
- Acute illness
- Chronic illness
- Reoccurring illness
- Respiratory support
- Circulatory support
- Digestive health
- Energy
- Sleep
- Inflammation
- Skin conditions such as acne, eczema & psoriasis
- Wound healing
- Pre and post operative support
- Infection
- Immune system support
- Hormone and reproductive support.
- Detoxification
- Hospice care
I could go ON and ON. There are very few individuals who would not benefit from the support that aromatherapy can give to your whole self. And the best part? When used properly, NO SIDE EFFECTS!
I highly recommend that everyone try Aromatherapy for themselves. ESPECIALLY you non believers. Yes, I know you’re there, shaking your head and saying nope, nope, nope at every word I have typed. To you, I say.. Try it.
Aromatherapy is highly individual and there is no one size fits all. Just because a certain oil acts a certain way for one person does not mean it will work the same way for you. For example. Lavender is said to be very calming and have a mild sedative effect. If used in certain amounts, it can actually have a stimulant effect on some people (like my 4 year old daughter).
I encourage everyone to see for yourselves how incredible the world of plants can be.
**Disclaimer: I am not, nor do I claim to be a doctor. The law prohibits me from diagnosing or treating illness or disease or prescribing anything to anyone.**
Aromatherapy is highly individual and there is no one size fits all. Just because a certain oil acts a certain way for one person does not mean it will work the same way for you. For example. Lavender is said to be very calming and have a mild sedative effect. If used in certain amounts, it can actually have a stimulant effect on some people (like my 4 year old daughter).
I encourage everyone to see for yourselves how incredible the world of plants can be.
**Disclaimer: I am not, nor do I claim to be a doctor. The law prohibits me from diagnosing or treating illness or disease or prescribing anything to anyone.**
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