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The value of natural plant oils has been recognised for more than 6000 years, for their healing, cleansing, preservative and mood-enhancing properties, as well as the sheer pleasure of their fragrances. Today, these properties are being rediscovered as we look to the wisdom of past eras and civilisations to restore the balance that has been lost in modern-day life. Stress, pollution, unhealthy diet, hectic but sedentary lifestyles - all these factors have adverse effects on our bodies and spirits. The art of aromatherapy harnesses the potent pure essences of aromatic plants, flowers, fruits and resins, to work on the most powerful of senses - smell and touch - to restore the harmony of body and mind. When you take flowers to someone who is ill in hospital you are using aromatherapy to help them feel better. The essential oils that give the smell to a bouquet of roses contain chemicals that relax the nervous system and instantly improve spirits.
Ancient civilisations
Art and writings from the ancient civilisations of China, India, Egypt and Persia show that plant essences were used and valued by priests, physicians and healers. Plant essences have been used for throughout the ages for healing - in incense for religious rituals, in perfumes and embalming ointments and culinary purposes. The ancient Chinese were probably one of the first to recognise and utilise the medicinal properties of aromatic essences. The Egyptians clearly understood the benefits of plant oils as depicted in many of their hieroglyphics, and by the remarkable preservation of mummies almost 5000 years old. There are many Biblical references that give an insight into the uses of plant oils and the high value that was attached to them. The Greeks and Romans used aromatics widely in rituals and ceremonies and the oils played an important role in the rise of popularity of baths and massage generally.
Modern era
The term 'Aromatherapie' was first used in 1928 by a French chemist named Gattefosse to describe the therapeutic action of aromatic plant essences. One day, while working in the laboratory, he badly burnt his hand and plunged it into a vat of lavender oil. When the burn healed quickly without blistering, he began his lifelong obsession of studying the therapeutic properties of plant oils. His work was taken up by Dr Jean Valnet who used oils extensively to treat wounded soldiers during World War II.
However, with significant developments in science and orthodox medicine in recent times, in particular antibiotics and synthetic drugs, knowledge and interest in the older traditional methods of healing declined, in the West, in particular. Nevertheless, the last few decades has seen a considerable rekindling in interest in aromatherapy and other forms of healing. Research is beginning to understand the scientific foundations of the oils' properties and applications, discovered by trial and error over thousands of years.
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