Aromatherapy, Essential Oils, Body Oils, Aromatherapy Mists

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the utilization of fragrant herbs and essential oils to promote natural health and healing. The use of scented, pleasing herbs for their spiritual and medicinal properties has been recorded since ancient Babylon and Egypt. Egyptian priests used oils and incense in their duties as healers, while Egyptian pharaohs were embalmed using herb oils to purify their bodies for the afterlife. Hippocrates, also known as the father of modern medicine, believed the use of herbs was essential to health. Many of his prescriptions include fragrant crushed herbs and essential oils. Books were being written in Arabia, by the tenth century, dedicated to the use and benefits of certain aromas.

The term ‘aromatherapy’ is attributed to Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French cosmetic chemist. In early 1920, he severely burned himself as he worked in his lab. To cool the pain, he stuck his arm into the only cold substance available, a vat of lavender essential oil. The burns healed quickly with little scarring, thus a new science was born. Gattefosse dedicated the remainder of his life to studying aromatherapy, or the healing power of scented healing oils.

Modern research has declared that certain essential herbs and oils have healing and therapeutic properties. Lavender is still used for burn victims and the scent is widely used to treat anxiety and depression. Many aromatherapy essential oils are used for their smell alone as a benefit. Eucalyptus is an example of this, as its scent is said to relieve chest congestion. Other essential oils are used for their anti-fungal, antibacterial, or anti-inflammatory properties. Tea Tree Oil is a time honored aromatherapy remedy for athlete’s foot, ringworm, and other fungal infections. Rosemary can be used to treat muscle pain and arthritis, and is a stimulant that is said to revive energy, such as when used in the morning bath. Many practitioners of aromatherapy believe there are 10 essential oils that should be included in all medicine cabinets: Chamomile, Thyme, Rosemary, Clove, Lemon, Lavender, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Geranium, and Eucalyptus.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the concentrated essence of plant material that is widely used in aromatherapy. They are exclusively made from botanical matter, so any fragrance that contains musk, which is an animal product, does not qualify. They are often confused with synthetic fragrance oils, which are chemical copies of scents that are made mainly from coal tar. These fragrance oils may smell exactly like their botanical counterparts, but they do not feature the same chemical structure. Therefore, they will not have the same therapeutic effects and their use is limited to perfumery.

Essential oils are typically extracted from plant matter through steam distillation. The plant material is treated with steam, which ‘cooks’ the plant. This breaks it down to release its oil. The steam that contains the essential essences is cooled and the oil is separated from the water and filtered. Some essential oils can be extracted via pressing, like grape juice is pressed from a grape. When twisting a piece of orange or lemon rind, the rind will yield a bit of liquid that is oily and smells strongly of the fruit. This oil is the fruit’s oil and is extracted easily through a press.

These oils vary widely in their price, depending on the amount of plant material that is needed to make them. Since citrus rind contains a lot of oil, citrus oils are economical to make and less expensive than the oils made from flowers, which contain very little oil. To make a pound of lavender essential oil, it can take over a hundred pounds of lavender flowers. It takes over a thousand pounds of jasmine to make a pound of jasmine essential oil. Jasmine, orange blossom, and rose are among the most costly of all essential oils.

While very few essential oils are safe to apply directly to the skin, such as tea tree and lavender, most are so concentrated they must be diluted with ‘carrier oils.’ Carrier oils are massage oils typically made from seeds and nuts, such as grapeseed, apricot kernel, and jojoba. Depending on the oil and the effect, the aromatherapeutic effects of these oils can be administered in different ways. Skin absorption is one of the most common methods. A diluted blend of essential and carrier oils are massaged into the skin to absorb the active ingredient of the essential oil into the bloodstream. A very effective way to treat respiratory complaints is inhalation of steam that contains vaporized essential oils. This is also one of the most widely used methods of using these oils for their emotion-stabilizing and mood-enhancing effects. To infuse the surrounding area with a lovely scent that can calm or invigorate, place a few drops of oil in a small glass bowl of water over a tea light candle.

What are Different Aromatherapy Scents?

It is generally believed that different aromas can be used to treat different ailments, with some popular scents inclusive of peppermint, lemongrass, and lavender. Many people may be familiar with lemongrass because of its culinary significance, but it is also widely used as an aromatherapy scent. When lemongrass is used for this purpose, steam distillation is often used to extract its essential oil. This oil can be heated and diffused in a special oil burner. Ailments for which this scent is believed to be effective are depression, fever, and muscle aches.

Peppermint is also likely to be more familiar as a food than as a medicine. There are many ways in which peppermint aromatherapy scents are used. To combat specific problems, such as headaches and stress, many add peppermint to bath water. To promote concentration, the oil may also be diffused when needed. Bergamot is another scent that is believed to have a positive effect on concentration. This scent is also used to eliminate anxiety, promote well-being, and to fight chronic fatigue. It is commonly found in the form of candles, or as an essential oil.

Sweet orange oil is often used to fight colds and flu. Sweet orange oil is one of the aromatherapy oils that is commonly cold-pressed, not steam-distilled. This is because cold-pressed citrus oils tend to be of a much higher quality and smell better. Grapefruits are also used to make essential oils, and one benefit this oil has over other citrus oils is the lack of phototoxicity. An oil that is phototoxic may make the skin more sensitive to the sun because of its radiation absorbing substances, and can make a person photosensitive. For this reason, grapefruit is a good alternative scent for headaches, depression, and concentration.

Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO

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