Have you heard about aromatherapy but really don't know what it is? Or are you just confused about where aromatherapy came from and what it's use is? Lets consider a little about the history and uses of aromatherapy.
The terms was first coined by a French chemist in 1920 and refers to the use of various naturally occurring plant substances and in particular oils distilled from plants called essential oils. The chemist was Maurice Gattefosse and he "discovered" the healing properties of essential oils following a fire in his laboratory. At the time he had a vat of lavendar oil there as he was studying the use of essential oils.
There was a fire at the laboratory and his arm was burnt, so he plunged his arm into the vat of lavender oil, experiencing immediate pain relief from the burns. Not only that but the burns healed very fast and left virtually no scarring.
The work of Maurice Gattefosse was followed up by other scientists during the Second World War when many soldiers were burnt and also experienced various other serious wounds. Research was started into the use of natural plant oils called essential oils on burns and also on healing wounds.
Aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years under different names. It has always been used for its occasional healing effects on people with health conditions. This comes from the essential oils found in a range of plants.
However, despite claims to the contrary, aromatherapy is not actually a "cure" for any particular diseases. Rather what it does is to help sufferers of illnesses cope with their illnesses by aiding their mental state.
But it is true that there are a range of psychological benefits from a positive psychological sense that comes from the use of a range of beautiful smelling essential plant oils. This improves the mental outlook of the person, reduces fear and anxiety and helps them cope better with the illness
And it is also possible in some cases that aromatherapy can help reduce a sufferers reliance on prescription drugs such as indigestion tablets, sleeping tablets and painkillers.
Various different scents from essential oils have a different effect of different people. For example different perfumes can have differing affects on different people. Some people will love a particular scent will feel relaxed whilst others will not. These psychological benefits of aromatherapy are very personal. Many people use the principles of aromatherapy without knowing it. For instance many people in use various oils and perfumes and lotions in their homes for the nice smell. That's what aromatherapy is about.
So perhaps you have a disease or illness that you are confronting and have been wondering about the role that aromatherapy may play. I won't deceive you by claiming that aromatherapy will be magic cure for your disease. However don't discount aromatherapy for that reason. It can do wonders for your mood and general psychological and mental state. Despite the fact that it is not a cure you can make a big difference in the overall outcome of your disease or illness.
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