What is aromatherapy?

The English word “aromatherapy” is derived from the French word “aromatherapie” which was created by the French chemist Gattefosse in 1937. It means to make use of volatile plant oils known as essential oils for the treatment or prevention of disease. It is a form of holistic complementary therapy designed to treat the whole person and not just the symptom or disease by helping the body's natural ability to balance, heal and maintain itself.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are the life force of the plant - sophisticated secretory cells that have tapped the photoelectric-magnetic energy of the sun and have converted it into biochemical energy.

The oils are extracted from many varieties of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses and flowers. The oils are usually secreted in a concentrated form by specialised oil or resin cells, hairs or scales in different part of the plants. In some trees they are found in the sap and wood and can also be found in the roots, stems, bark, leaves, fruits and flowers of some species. For example, geranium oil comes from the leaves and stalks, ginger oil from the root-like underground stems, mandarin oil is squeezed from the peel of the fruit.

Extraction is by a variety of means such as steam distillation, solvent extraction, expression, enfleurage and maceration.

It is essential that only pure essential oils are used because reconstituted products or chemical copies of a natural essences simply do not work for medicinal purposes.

Why use them?

One of the best reasons for using essential oils is because they enter and leave the body with great efficiency, leaving no toxins behind, unlike chemical drugs. The most effective way to use them is by external applications or inhalation. As well as being non-invasive and non-toxic they are also non-invasive in terms of heat and electromagnetism. In light of the growing awareness of the body's electromagnetic fields, it could be that essential oils contribute towards stimulation the body's own natural healing mechanisms.

Although oils are natural products this does not render them harmless. As they are highly concentrated forms of plant energy care needs to be taken in their usage. For example, one drop of rose oil contains the energy from 30 roses and one drop of essential oil is said to have the therapeutic value of 25 cups of herbal infusion.

Essential oils differ from herbal remedies in that it is the odoriferous molecules of essential oil make up the 'aroma' which is inhaled.

The combination of aroma, massage and other treatments heal and maintain the person as a whole by working with nature and not against it.