According to the American Aromatherapy Association, Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils from aromatic plants, such as lavender or eucalyptus, to restore and enhance health and beauty. It’s a widely used term today and doesn’t have a singular definition. Because of its wide spread use and differing definitions, some people are using the term “essential oil therapy” in place of “Aromatherapy”. I will continue to use the term “Aromatherapy” on this site.
A Brief History of Aromatherapy
The term “Aromatherapy” is fairly new, dating back to only a hundred years, but the practice of using essential oils and aromatic plants, can be found thousands of years back. Evidence suggests that the Chinese may have been among one of the first cultures to experiment with aromatic plants by making incense to promote harmony and balance in one’s life. Ancient Egyptians were said to have used oils and herbal concoctions for spiritual, medicinal, aromatic and cosmetic use. The Ancient Egyptians may have been the creators of the word “perfume”, which is thought to have originated from the Latin term “ per fumum”. It is interesting to note, “per fumum” means ‘smoke’ in Latin. Men and women in the Egyptian world used perfume. The Egyptians brought the practice to the Ancient Greeks, who taught it to the Romans. The Greeks were interested in learning the medicinal and aromatic properties of plants. The Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, was said to have used plant fumigations, to alleviate sickness and also used plants for their fragrances. A well-known Roman, Discorides, wrote a book, describing the properties of 500 plants.
For more information on the History of Aromatherapy, click here