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Aromatherapy Helps To Heal Body And Mind

The practice of using plant oils for physical and psychological benefits is known as aromatherapy. When we say aromatherapy we bring to mind everything from holistic and alternative medicine to using essential oils for their aroma’s calming  and healing effects.

Since ancient times, the use of plants and herbs for their healing properties has proliferated through numerous cultures. The extraction of essential oils from specific plants have been used for medicinal as well as cosmetic purposes for several centuries, however it was not until the early 20th century that the term aromatherapy became part of the English language.

With its beginnings in France, aromatherapy is held in higher regard for medicinal treatment than in other countries, and the oils are used for treatment of bacteria, fungus as well as an antiseptic. Essential oils are included in many phases of pharmaceuticals in several European countries, but aromatherapy has not yet been recognized as a branch of medicine in the United States and a few other countries.

Different Oils Created Through Extraction Process

Essential oils are the liquids extracted from a plant, typically through distillation, while the oils extracted with the use of a solvent, commonly water, and are usually known as fragrant oils. Carrier oils are those oils, when mixed with essential oils, are used for skin products. Essential or fragrance oils are often mixed into candles and other such mediums for the aromatherapy benefits.

The primary benefits conceded to aromatherapy  are those relating to relaxation as well as the reduction of stress. The medical and pharmaceutical experts admit that scientific study has been lacking towards the medical benefits of aromatherapy, but that there is sufficient evidence that makes further study essential.

Despite the critics, many people have noted the beneficial effects that certain oils have had on them. Lavender is claimed to not only help relaxation and stress reduction, it also holds healing properties. Many cite Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, the French scientist who suffered a third-degree burn on his arm. While attempting to place his arm in water he inadvertently placed it into a small vat of lavender oil.

Noting the immediate relief, he continued to apply lavender oil to his burn, which healed without scarring. He wrote of his experience, using the term aromatherapy for the first time in 1928.