Short History

Aromatic plants have been used since the most ancient times, living their traces in specially designed bottles, texts and pictorial art throughout time. Their aromas accompanied both religious and secular rituals in ancient India, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece (already in the Bronze Age, 3^rd & 2^nd millennium BCE) and still do. Their aromas have played an important role in making them precious as beauty enhancing, medicinal, spiritual, aromatic, flavouring and therapeutic agents. As such, they have been an integrative element of social relations and cultural expression across time and space.

Aromatherapy is the art of encouraging health and well-being using natural oil extracts and essential oils. It studies and uses the beneficial properties of essential oils, which although they are an integral part of herbal practice, their study has evolved as a somewhat distinct field. The term was first used by René-Maurice Gattefossé in the beginning of the 20th century, who also discovered the amazing antiseptic and healing qualities of lavender essential oil. Another important figure was Dr Jean Valnet born in 1920, who performed extensive research on the therapeutic properties of essential oils. He used them extensively in his medical practice and is considered by many the father of modern-day phyto-aromatherapy. The French tradition, focusing in the medical use of essential oils including ingestion, has been enriched by several other doctors and pharmacists. A prominent figure in the French tradition since the 1990’s has been Dr Daniel Pénoël.

The English tradition considers aromatherapy as an important complementary path of treatment, however, EOs are not considered safe to use as potable therapeutic agents. Instead, stress is given on external use, especially through massage, in which case they act both via entering the blood stream directly and through smell. The German tradition, gives emphasis on the therapeutic effects of inhaling them. In reality, massage and inhalation are two powerful means of therapeutic treatment in which EOs play the leading role. If used correctly, as is the case with everything, EOs are a powerful warden of our health and well-being. Their potency is attesting a growing recognition. EO

How it works

True essential oils are primarily the product of steam distillation, in which the volatile compounds of the plant are separated in the form of oil. They are considered as the quintessence of plants; great quantities of plant material are required to produce this concentrated form of healing power, this is why some are very expensive (e.g. 1 ton of rose pedals produces about 200ml of rose oil). Depending on plant, essential oils can be found in all the various plant parts; leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds, bark, wood, root, and resin and some plants deliver different essential oils from their different parts (e.g. bitter orange tree).

EOs contain hundreds if not thousands of active constituents that interact in complex and not well-understood ways, even if their medicinal effect is beyond doubt. As already said, herbs have provided the biologically active compounds for most of our modern-day drugs; however, since it’s not only one substance responsible for their effect, but the presence and synergy of multiple substances, we still have a lot to learn about their precise pharmacology. This is particularly true of Essential Oils, which demonstrate a very concentrated and at the same time multifaceted composition.

Chemical constituents of plants interact directly with cell receptors and therefore respective processes are triggered (e.g. Inula graveolens or tanacetum annuum prevent the activation of reactions normally triggered by inflammation stimuli). Secondary metabolites are particularly important; they’re the substances responsible for smell and colour, they fight off herbivores and other enemies, they attract pollinators and communicate with other species! Their straightforward evolutionary superiority to simple substances is of immense importance for our survival, health and well-being.

Just like all herbal extracts, EOs can work simultaneously at many levels affecting more than one body systems, sometimes stimulating one and relaxing another. Scent, which is perhaps EOs’ most important attribute, has a direct influence on our nervous and hormonal systems, influencing emotions, memory and psychological state. Their activity can be noted at all systems: physiological, emotional and mental. Their multi-targeting ability in combination with their variability in possible side effects or beneficial interactions explains why an individualized approach is necessary: even though many plants and herbs have an antimicrobial activity, one would be more suitable for an individual than for another.