aromatherapy: aro·ma·ther·a·py - noun - The use of volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being.

' The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage every day.' Hypocrites

One of the most primitive forms of medicine involved burning aromatic plants in order to "smoke" illness out of a patient. This process was frequently interlinked with various rituals and religious practices, and sometimes plants with mind-altering properties were burnt too, to create a mysical, other -worldly experience as part of healing ritiual.

Aromatherapy is the use of pure essential and absolute oils. Essential oils are complex, highly fragrant and volatile substances, with varying degrees of complexity, fragrance, and volatility.

They are the most potent and concentrated extracts of various parts of flowers, fruits, leaves, spices, roots, and woods.

The different smells (aromas), and the chemical constituents of the oils, are said to produce different emotional and physiological reactions. Essential oils can be massaged into the skin, added to bath water or vaporised in an oil burner.

Through it is often categorized as a “new age” remedy, aromatherapy—the use of essential oils from aromatic plants for healing---dates back thousands and thousands years. Jesus made reference to aromatic oils in the Bible.

Scents for Good Health

There are about 150 essential oils. Most of these oils have antiseptic properties; some are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antidepressant and expectorant. Other properties of the essential oils which are taken advantage of in aromatherapy are their stimulation, relaxation, digestion improvement, and diuretic properties. Careful inhalation of the oils can also provide therapeutic benefit as the oil molecules enter the lungs and are absorbed into the bloodstream.

All essential oils are concentrated and potent. They should be used very sparingly, only a few drops at a time, and always diluted in some other medium, such as plain massage oil (cold pressed vegetable oil) or unscented base cream. If essential oils are used undiluted they can cause burning and irritation. Essential oils do not dissolve in water unless mixed with a dispersant first. Some of the ways in which essential oils can be used include:

For some of us, we don't even know we're doing it. When you burned that scented candle last week, you were practicing Aromatherapy. When you walk through a fragrant garden, you are doing it again! In fact, virtually all of the bath and body care products we use contain some form of essential oils - the basis of Aromatherapy.

This is one of the reasons Aromatherapy is so popular today. It is easy to practice, readily available, and effective as a therapy. The information you need to get started is right at your fingertips! Just click on any one of our links to find out more...