History | Benefits of Aromatherapy | How Aromatherapy Works

The word Aroma is derived from Greek meaning spice. However, today it is more broadly recognised as fragrance. The word therapy, as the name suggests, is  treatment. Therefore, Aromatherapy literally means curative treatment by means of fragrance. It refers to a particular branch of herbal medicine that uses concentrated plant oils called essential oils to improve physical and emotional health, and to restore balance to the whole system. 

Unlike the herbs that are taken internally, essential oils are either inhaled or applied to the skin. Each oil has its own natural fragrance and a gentle healing action that makes Aromatherapy one of the most pleasant and popular of all the other alternative therapies. The pure essences of aromatic plants have been prized for thousands of years for their health-giving properties and scents.
    
In modern-day life, pollution, stress, strain, unhealthy diet and hectic schedule etc. have bad effects on our bodies and minds. Aromatherapy restores the harmony of body and mind  by working on the senses of touch and smell. 

Aromatherapy is widely used at home, clinics and hospitals for a variety of applications such as pain relief for women in labour pain, relieving pain caused by the side effects of chemotherapy undergone by the cancer patients, and rehabilitation of cardiac patients, and therefore, an effective alternative medicine.

Originally Aromatherapy was discovered through the religious, medical and social practices of all the major civilizations. Around 4500 BC, Chinese discovered plants with medical powers. As the old paintings suggest, the aromatic preparations were used as offerings to the Gods. For preservation of corpses in preparation for the next world, natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties of essential oils and resins, particularly cedarwood and frankincense were used.
Around 3000 BC, the oils which were used for religious ceremonies were analyzed and proved that the properties of the same are useful for human beings. Keeping this as secrets, oils were used for healing the wounds, etc. 
The Greeks had some awareness of the therapeutic properties of the oils and their value as sedatives and stimulants was certainly recognized. The oils played an important role in the rise in popularity of baths and massage and body culture generally. Around 1000 AD, Arabians successfully tried to distill rose essence and they became the world’s center for production of perfume. They used to import raw materials from Egypt, India and China and selling their products throughout the world.
In 14th and 15th century, when plague broke out in Europe and Asia, resins and oils of some aromatic plants were burned  at various places to disinfect against various infectious organisms. In 15th century, perfumes were used to disguise body smells and ward off sickness. By the 17th century, the aphrodisiac properties were certainly well recognized and with the work of the great herbalists, the therapeutic properties also started to be recorded laying the foundation for modern day Aromatherapy.

The bottom line of Aromatherapy is to cure people rather than illness. People of all ages and of all states of health can use it. It is nurturing for babies and children and offers a great comfort and care to elderly people. Pregnant women and seriously ill people can benefit from the treatment. Its remarkable potential is that it relaxes mind and body, relieves pain, and restores body system to a state of balance in which healing can best take place. 

IS AROMATHERAPY USEFUL FOR SICK PEOPLE ONLY?

It is also most effective when used as an Armour or preventive measure to alleviate clinical symptoms before they turn into disease.

Aromatherapy is particularly effective for stress, anxiety and psychosomatic induced disorders, muscular and rheumatic pains, digestive disorders and women's problems, such as PMS, menopausal complaints and postnatal depression.

Basically Aromatherapy involves using the aroma of certain plant oils to treat body and mind. Treatment, when used correctly, proves to be beneficial. It is concerned with getting essential oils into the body in order to alter body chemistry, support body systems, and improve moods and emotions. This is done effectively by massaging oils into the skin. The molecules of oils are so small that they get absorbed in the pores of the skin and into the bloodstream, and later on to every part of the body. Manipulating the soft tissues of the body has been shown to release emotional and physical tension, relieve pain, promote healthy circulation, and restore the whole person to a balanced state of health. 
Apart from this, inhalation does reinforce the effects of oils applied to the skin, as it gives relief from the oils that causes irritation. During inhaling, receptors in the nose convert smells into electrical impulses which are transmitted to the limbic system of the brain affecting our moods and emotions, and improve mental alertness and concentration.