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Aromatherapy
Stress Management through Aromatherapy
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Aromatherapy Aromatherapy is derived from two words: Aroma - meaning fragrance and Therapy - meaning treatment. Aromatherapy is the art and science of using essential oils to anoint, beautify and heal body, mind and soul. It is an ancient therapeutic form of healing practiced by various cultures for centuries.
Holistic aromatherapy uses only essential oils which are volatile, natural substances derived from natural sources extracted by various distillation and extraction processes. Natural sources include the plant’s roots, stem, bark, wood, twigs, peel, seeds, leaves, flowers, balsam and resin. Essential oils are the plants’ life blood, hormone or spirit that gives its distinct personality, medicinal and aromatic characteristic to the specie. These pure essences provide us with psychological, physiological and pharmacological benefits if used properly. These essences take care of the plant’s life system, the same way they take care of our body’s life system.
History dating back 6000 BC unveils the Chinese botanical pharmacopoeia used in their traditional medicine. Similarly, Ayurvedic medicine combined aromatherapy with religion, magic and mysticism. The Bible too, mentions aromatic oils and ointments used in religious rituals and protection against sickness. Just like today, these oils are precious and are fitting to be considered gifts to a King. Remember the gifts presented by the three wise men to baby Jesus - gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
The ancient and rich culture of Egypt has paintings and papyrus manuscripts documenting the use of essential oils in their cosmetics, rituals, baths, temples and most notably in the embalming process that enabled them to preserve mummies for centuries. The Assyrians, Babylonians, Hebrews, Arabs, Romans and Greeks soon adopted the Egyptian aromatic medicine and the latter in fact mastered the art of aromatics that made Greece known as the bathing capital of the World. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine (circa 460-377 BC) recommends daily baths and regular massages with infusions of various herbs and essential oils.
It is ironic to think that essential oils opened the door to the evolution of synthetic fragrances and today’s modern drugs in mid 1800. The credibility and inconsistencies of the essential oils slowly limited its use in the perfume, cosmetic and food industries. And overtime, essential oils disappeared in history.
In 1910 the word aromatherapie was first coined by French chemist, René-Maurice Gattefossé, who while working in his laboratory, accidentally burned his hand. He immediately submerged his burned hand in a bucket of lavender oil. To his surprise, his hand healed without blisters and almost without a scar. He then reclaimed the therapeutic benefits of essential oils; thus, the rebirth of Aromatherapy in the 20th century.
Today though, it is a marketing hype that any product that has a scent is considered aromatherapy. What makes essential oils different from synthetic fragrances or perfume oils are the chemical composition present in plants that offers therapeutic benefits.
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