Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to support health and well-being. Sometimes this is called essential oil therapy. Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit and promote both physical and emotional health.
Aromatherapy is considered both an art and a science. People have used aromatherapy for thousands of years. Ancient cultures in China, India, Egypt, and elsewhere included resins, balsams, and oils with aromatic plant components. While these natural substances were used for medicinal and religious purposes, they were known to have both physical and psychological benefits. The distillation of essential oils is attributed to the Persians in the 10th century, but is thought to have been used in practice for a long time before that.
Information on the distillation of essential oil was published in Germany in the 16th century. In the 19th century, French doctors realized the potential of essential oils in the treatment of diseases.
The term 'aromatherapy' was coined by the French perfumer and chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé in a 1937 book on the subject. He had previously discovered the healing potential of lavender in the treatment of burns.
What are the aromatherapy benefits?
Aromatherapy has a number of benefits. The main ones are to improve sleep quality, reduce stress and anxiety, soothe aching joints, treat headaches and migraines, alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy, fight bacteria, viruses or fungi, improve digestion and boost immunity.
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The most obvious benefits of lavender scent are seen on the nervous system. It has a calming and soothing effect, helping to reduce ailments such as stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue.