Aromatherapy
 What is Aromatherapy?Aromatherapy is the systematic use of essential oils in holistic treatments to improve physical and emotional wellbeing. Essential oils, extracted from plants, possess distinctive therapeutic properties which can be used to improve health and prevent disease. Both their physiological and psychological effects combine well to promote positive health. These natural plant oils are applied in a variety of ways including massage, baths and inhalations. They are readily absorbed into the skin and have gentle physiological effects. Aromatherapy is an especially effective treatment for stress-related problems and a variety of chronic conditions. The name dates from the 1920s but different cultures and civilisations, such as the Ancient Egyptians and the Roman Empire, have used plants and herbs for religious, medical and cosmetic purposes, as well as in rituals, embalming and preserving, for centuries.  'The
Cradle of Medicine'
 The Egyptians are known to have used plant resins and essences in preserving the dead. Cedar and myrrh were used in embalming and jars of frankincense and styrax have been found by archaeologists in tombs dating from 3000BC. The antiseptic and anti bacterial qualities of the oils and essences helped to prevent dead bodies from rotting so that, when mummies were discovered thousands of years later, they were perfectly preserved. In a hot country with little sanitation, plant extracts and oils made life more pleasant! Some of the prescriptions and formula ewere inscribed onto stone tablets which is one of the reasons we know so much about them today. The GreeksThe Nile Valley in Egypt was known as the 'Cradle of Medicine' and othercultures, especially the ancient Greeks gained much of their knowledge from travelling to this area and taking the information home. Hippocrates (born around 460BC) was a Greek and he was an important person in the development of the use of plants in medicine. He also wrote on the subject, thus helping others to understand the useful properties of plants and herbs. The Arab influenceAny history of aromatherapy should mention a Persian called Abd Allah ibn Sina(980-1037), usually referred to as Avicenna, who contributed a great deal to medicine both past and present. Firstly, he described accurately about eight hundred plants and their uses. Secondly, he devised very detailed instructions on massage and thirdly, he is credited with discovering the process of distillation by which most of our essential oils are obtained. The first scented baths?The Romans had a huge Empire, which existed for over 500 years (from 27BC until around the fifth century AD). They had conquered many other countries and had access to all the plants and oils of those countries. Oils and essences were an important part of Roman culture. For example,they were used at the public baths, in the water and in massage. This might not seem very significant to us, but baths were a central part of a Roman's daily life. They were like present-day cafés and pubs: this was where you went not only to get a wash and massage but also to chat to friends, family and business associates. Four millennia of experienceChina and India both have a long history of using plants and herbs and their extracts for medical purposes. In India medicine is aimed at healing the whole body i.e. treating physical, spiritual and psychological problems all at the same time. Traditional Indian herbal medicine, known as Ayurvedic medicine, dates from thousands of years ago as does Chinese medicine. Now, in 2000AD, 4000 years later, the use of Chinese medical treatments such as acupuncture, shiatsu or herbal remedies is becoming widespread. From the Crusades to the
Great Plague: Europe's Role Europe's learnt about the health benefits of plants and herbs through the travels of knights and soldiers who brought back news of their use, especially after the Crusades (from the eleventh to the thirteenth century). Gradually, Europeans began to experiment with herbal remedies made from plants and herbs that grew in their own countries, like sage, lavender and rosemary. In the Middle Ages people protected themselves against infection by carrying plants, wearing herbal bouquets and throwing both over the floor. During the Great Plague perfumers and apothecaries were thought to be immune from the disease. Using flowers and plants against germs might sound superstitious but think of how many lavender, pine and sandalwood disinfectants and cleaning products we now have in ourlives! And gipsies still sell lucky bunches of herbs to ward off evil. Blinding with scienceThe development of chemistry and printing in the nineteenth century helped herbal and plant medicine in two ways. New chemical processes made it easier to extract oils and the invention of printing meant that lots of books on the subject, called herbals, were published. However, science helped both to develop the use of plants and herbs in medicines and to destroy it. It became easier and cheaper to discover some of the elements of plant oils, and their qualities, and attempt to produce synthetic versions of them. So commercial, mass-produced products and remedies using artificial ingredients replaced the natural formulas created for the individual person and problem. Herbal medicine, using ancient and tested traditions was no longer taken seriously and was even considered 'quackery' compared to 'real' scientific medicine. The 'invention' of aromatherapy The term aromatherapy was
coined by a French chemist called René Maurice Gattefossé in the
1920s. He was a chemist and perfumier who worked in his family
perfumery business. One day he burnt his hand and plunged it into a
vat of lavender oil to cool it down. He discovered that the lavender
oil helped his burns to heal and prevented scarring. During the
First World War (1914-1918) he used oils on soldiers' wounds and discovered
that they helped heal wounds much faster. He went on to research the
AROMATHERAPY therapeutic properties of essential oils and first used
the phrase aromathérapie in a scientific research paper he delivered
in 1928. Several other French scientists, including Dr Jean Valnet,
continued the research into the effect of essential oils on physical
burns and wounds as well as psychological disorders. Valnet also used
oils on soldiers' wounds, this time during the Second World War
(1939-1945), because of their antiseptic qualities. Aromatherapy reaches BritainMarguerite Maury, an Austrian biochemist and follower of the work of Valnet, is the person responsible for bringing aromatherapy to Britain. She had discovered that when she used essential oils in massage the skin absorbed the oils very well. In the 1940s she brought her ideas for massage treatments using essential oils to this country and, with the help of several people (including Micheline Arcier, Dr W.E.Arnould-Taylor, Eve Taylor and Dr Jean Valnet) she set up aromatherapy practices. Her students then set up their own practices and the interest in this method of treatment has been growing ever since. Furthermore, although first established as a beauty therapy, aromatherapy was developed as a clinical (i.e. medical) therapy by Robert Tisserand. Full circle
Thanks to Gattefossé and his followers, aromatherapy began to be taken seriously again. The reputation of complementary therapies is now coming full circle. A move away from orthodox medicine and commercial drugs has coincided with, or perhaps caused a surge of interest in the use of natural complementary therapies. Traditional medicine now uses more and more such therapies to complement treatments of physical and psychological conditions. |
| Sign up to our newsletter | Newsletter archive |    |
|
| We are a wholesale supplier of aromatherapy products based in Royton, Oldham OL2. We supply pure essential oils / aromatherapy oils in small and bulk sizes, vegetable carrier oils / base oils / fixed oils, hyrolats / hydrosols, fragrance oils, aroma diffusers, empty glass bottles / jars and plastic bottles, base creams, lotions and base bath products which are suitable for the addition of essential oils for aromatherapy use. | |||
| © Copyright - Essential Oils Direct Ltd (EOD) - 13 Parkside Industrial Estate, Royton, Oldham OL2 6DS: Please note the above address is not a shop it is warehouse/collection point only: Goods must be pre-ordered before visiting. Tel: 0161 633 3952 - Please note the minimum order for telephone orders is £66 inc VAT. (The minimum for orders placed online is £25 + Vat) |
|||
 |
|||