The Essential Guide To Aromatheray

So What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the art of applying essential oils to suit individual needs. The oils work directly on the chemistry of the body via the skin. Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, more commonly known as essential oils. Essential oils are extracts that contain the substances that give plants and trees their smell. The oils are produced by small glands in the petals, leaves, stems and bark of many plants and trees. In nature, the scents are released slowly, but when heated or crushed, the oil glands burst and release the plant’s aroma much more powerfully.

It isn’t exactly known when or where the art of aromatherapy began. It is believed that the Chinese knowledge of medicinal oils may have reached the west from the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. A French chemist called Ren-Maurice Gattefoss coined the term aromatherapy to describe the process of using plant oils therapeutically. The story goes that, while working in a perfume factory in the early 20th century, he burnt his hand and instinctively grabbed some lavender oil and poured it onto the burn. He was so impressed by how...