Aromatherapy and essential oils are experiencing a resurgence as a holistic way to improve health. Let’s take a quick look at the history, quality, and applications of essential oils and aromatherapy.
Essential oils are not true oils; they are highly concentrated aromatic plant components. These substances are extracted from flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, roots, or bark and provide mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional benefits. They give plants and flowers their distinct and sometimes strong fragrances, helping with pollination and repelling threats so the plants can thrive.
People have valued essential oils for thousands of years for their uses in food preparation, beauty routines, and health treatments. For example, ancient Egyptians as far back as 4,500 B.C. used myrrh, cinnamon, frankincense, cedarwood, and other valuable aromatics for healing and emotional relief.
From ancient texts, we know that Egyptian priests and alchemists used essential oils for healing, religious ceremonies, cleansing rituals, and embalming the dead. The Greek physician Hippocrates also used aromatherapy to enhance massages and believed in nurturing the body’s natural healing powers. He thought doctors should protect and strengthen the body.
Essential oils have also played essential roles in traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda in India, and religious rituals in Christianity and Judaism. They were even used to ward off sickness and plague. Avicenna, a first-century Persian philosopher and scientist, perfected the distillation process to extract essential oils.
Throughout history, from ancient Greece to the Renaissance to the 1700s, essential oils were highly valued. Research indicates that people in ancient times had a deep understanding of the medicinal and healing properties of these oils. However, as new medical philosophies and practices emerged, the knowledge of these oils’ protective qualities was often overlooked.
In the United States, Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was Surgeon General during the Revolutionary War, helped establish the first hospital in Pennsylvania in 1751, along with Benjamin Franklin. They had differing views on healthcare. While Franklin believed in natural healing and healthy living, Rush thought that doctors should control the healing process.
The 1820 Pharmacopoeia, an official list of medicinal drugs, included mainly herbal medicines. Today, although you won’t find herbals listed, about 40% of pharmaceutical medicines are derived from or inspired by herbs. During World Wars I and II, essential oils were rediscovered for their antibacterial and wound healing properties, especially when antibiotics were scarce.
Today, over 270 varieties of aromatic compounds have been identified, each with its medicinal properties. While Ayurvedic and Eastern medicine have long championed natural remedies, many people are now exploring the benefits of essential oils for healthy living.
Aromatherapy involves diffusing pure aromatic essences from plants. Some researchers believe our sense of smell significantly impacts how essential oils help with healing. Inhaled oil molecules might stimulate brain areas that influence physical, emotional, and mental health.
Aromatherapy is widely used in France and Western Europe for its antiseptic, antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. In the U.S., it’s gaining acceptance as a complementary treatment for various conditions, used in homes, spas, and hospitals.
The price and quality of essential oils vary greatly. High-quality oils come from fresh botanicals and careful extraction methods, making them far more potent than the original plants. For instance, distilling 5 ml of pure rose oil might require 12,000 rose blossoms. Quality oils are 100% pure, undiluted, and not processed with solvents or additives.
Essential oils can be applied topically or inhaled using a diffuser. Typically, you dilute three to five drops of concentrated oil with a teaspoon of carrier oil like coconut, sweet almond, or grapeseed oil and apply to the skin, such as on the wrists, behind the ears, or on the temples. The small molecules in essential oils allow them to pass through the skin into the circulatory system.
Inhaling the oils can also introduce them into the bloodstream through the lungs. For a combined skin absorption and scent therapy, you can add 10 to 15 drops of oil mixed with half a cup of Epsom salt to your bathwater. Lavender or eucalyptus oils are particularly soothing.
Since essential oils are very potent, they should not be used excessively. It’s also essential to know that not all oils are safe for consumption, and internal use should only be done with a healthcare practitioner’s guidance.
