The History of Aromatherapy

The history of aromatherapy is quite a long one as it's been around for thousands of years.  If you haven’t been paying much attention to it, now is the time.  There are countless benefits that you're missing out on, right now!

Aromatherapy was practiced thousands of years ago.   Aromatherapy is a process of healing the body and soul with natural extracts found in trees, roots, leaves and flowers.  It is then put through a refining process and becomes essential oils.

These oils are what we put in soaps, lotions, candles, perfume, cosmetics and more in order to scent it.  Aromatherapy calms and soothes as it heals the body, mind and spirit. “Aroma” means fragrance and “therapy” means to treat. 

The Chinese were the first ones to burn incense to get the most out of aromatherapy.  The Egyptians were not far behind as they caught on to aromatherapy and even invented a machine that would distill the extractions, saving a lot of time. 

The Egyptians also embalmed their dead using a combination of Cedarwood, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Myrrh.  It was the norm for Egyptians to wear a cone of fragrance that would slowly melt.  When the fragrance completely melted off, they would still carry the fragrance on their bodies for days.  This may have been the very beginnings of perfume.

The Egyptians also learned how to cook with these different plants as well.  Using aromatherapy had become the miracle drug. 

A Greek physician believed that aromatherapy was beneficial to saving someone from surgery, using relaxation as a technique.  Although the great Greek Physician was given skepticism he still continued his belief.  Greeks also used aromatherapy for cosmetics as well as healing. 

The North American Indians also relied on aromatherapy in order to heal the sick.  The correct mixture of herbs was vital to them. 

The Romans used aromatherapy to doctor those who were hurt or injured all the way through World War II.  Their people believed that every plant had a purpose of healing.  Extensive research on this topic was done by the Romans who wrote a book that described the plants.  

Today that research is still continued as everyone tries to explore the many options of natural healing. The great physicians believed that aromatherapy was important in healing the mind, body and spirit. With every plant there were multiple uses.

Balancing the body’s natural system makes you feel healthy.  If your body is missing something than you will feel incomplete, unbalanced or like something is wrong. It’s enough to make you notice but not enough to detect exactly what it is. That is where aromatherapy can be most helpful, balancing your system when your body needs it the most.

So, be thankful for the history of aromatherapy, for there are several people who have played a big role in the way we understand aromatherapy today. Through their trial and error we are able to make better use of aromatherapy.

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