Aromatherapy involves the use of plant oils to provide physical and psychological benefits. The actual term aromatherapy did not begin to be used until some time during the 20th century; however, the practice of using essential oils for therapeutic benefits has been around for quite some time. In fact, the actual practice of aromatherapy dates back almost one thousand years.
It is believed the Chinese may have been one of the first peoples to be using plants known for their aromatic properties for the purpose of therapeutic benefits. These plants were used during the burning of incense to establish balance and harmony. The Egyptians began to experiment with the practice of aromatherapy sometime later and even created an early distillation machine to extract oils. The oils most commonly used during these early civilizations included clove, nutmeg, cedarwood, cinnamon and myrrh. They were generally used for embalming purposes; however, other oils were used for medicinal, spiritual and even cosmetic purposes.
The Greeks later picked up the practice of aromatherapy and used essential oils for aromatic and medicinal purposes. The Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, often used essential oils for medicinal treatments. By the Middle Ages, a wide variety of plants were being distilled across large portions of the world to provide therapeutic benefits, including rosemary, sage, rose and juniper.
It was not until the 19th century; however, that many scientists in Europe began to experiment with aromatherapy and the possible effects of essential oils. The term aromatherapy was actually coined by a French chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse during the 1920?s while he studied the properties of plants.
Today, aromatherapy is still used for a wide variety of purposes and benefits including healing physical disorders, relaxing, relieving anxiety and stress, soothing a tired mind and body and as an aphrodisiac.
Although ancient practitioners of aromatherapy found it cumbersome and difficult to distill the essential oils from aromatic plants, today it is possible to find a wide variety of quality pure aromatherapy essential oils. Whether you?re looking to relax away stress of want to set the right mood for a romantic evening at home, aromatic essential oils are just a click of a mouse away.
