Though this practice has come to be widely known as simply a study of scents, aromatherapy goes beyond smell. In fact it involves “pure essential oils and treatments, which many believe have a chemical effect on the body. These oils can be applied with massage, in the bath, in the air, and in hair care.

Return to top

Aromatherapy: From a historical perspective

The use of aromatherapy goes back thousands of years although this practice was not termed aromatherapy until the early 1900s. Plant oils are mentioned several times in the Bible, and Ancient Greeks and Romans often used oils in their medical treatments. Even the Egyptians used aromatic plant essences to treat physical and medical health problems.

The concept of Aromatherapy today began in the 1920s with French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who coined the term “aromatherapie.” Gattefosse was convinced that the oils had antiseptic properties, and believed these properties were more powerful than the antiseptics that were used at the time. He also discovered that the oils had other important healing properties.

While conducting a distillation experiment, Gattefosse burned his hand and needed to cool it down. He placed his entire hand in a container filled with pure lavender essential oil, and the pain was gone almost instantly. Within only a few days his burned healed with no scars, blisters or infections. After that incident, he continued his research of this extraordinary phenomenon and the uses of essential oil for other possible medical uses.

Return to top