Aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine or therapy, is designed to treat the whole person with systematic use of volatile plant oils or essential oils. The objective of the therapy is to treat the whole person; it is not aiming for symptomatic treatment. We are able see and believe that aromatherapy is helping and bringing relief to millions of people where conventional medicine currently fails.

Do you feel that aromatic substances can benefit mankind in treatment or prevention of diseases? How best the systematic use of volatile plant oils will improve our health?

Wikipedia: Aroma Therapy

Aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine or therapy, designed to treat the whole person with systematic use of volatile plant oils or “essential oils.” The use of aromatherapy can benefit you in many ways. However the benefits you get mostly relies on a set of factors: a. your body type; b. your brain’s reaction with scents or aroma; and c. the kind of aromatherapy you receive. The objective of the therapy is to treat the whole person; it is not aiming for symptomatic treatment i.e., treatment for cold, cough etc.

Many centuries ago the mankind has found the mysterious world of smells, having learned to receive aromatic essences from plants. These plant essences have been used throughout the ages for healing. The French chemist Rene Maurice Gettefosse, who is known as the father of modern aromatherapy, first coined the term “aromatherapy” in 1920. He dedicated his life in the application of distilled plant volatiles for treatment or prevention of disease. The Indian Ayurvedic medicine includes aromatherapy as a form of treatment and uses aromatic oils in massage.

Essential oils or distinct fragrant oils are extracted from plants – i.e., flowers (Jasmine oil), leaves (eucalyptus oil), stem / wood / bark (sandalwood oil), roots (zingiber), and seeds (almond oil). The process of extraction is known as solvent extraction. Modern aromatherapy obtains essential oils from more than two hundred plants and trees. Absolute are fragrant oils extracted from flowers. Hydrosols are the by-products of the distillation process e.g., rose water. Carrier oils are plant based triacylglycerides used to dilute essential oils for external applications on the skin. Always essential oils must be mixed with carrier oils and used only for external applications; you are warned not apply essential on your skin directly. Be cautious while applying aromatic substances on children; and all such treatments must be on the advice of trained aroma-therapist.

You may use the essential oils as your massage oils or diffusers and burners or room sprays, compresses and (few drops) in your bathing water. The aromatic treatments physiologically regularise, balance, heal, and maintain your body system.

How our body systems absorb the essential oils? How the molecules of the aromatic substance help to provide the desired healing?

Aromatherapy uses essential oils to diffuse and permeate through our olfactory system or nostrils to reach the brain

 Aromatherapy uses essential oils to diffuse and permeate through olfactory system or nostrils to reach respiratory system. Our skin rightly absorbs the substances or the volatile substance permeate into our nostrils and enter into our lungs.

 Aromatherapy uses essential oils to diffuse and permeate through the pores of our skin membrane to reach muscular system. There are substances which can get along with our blood circulation. Even some tiny portion of the substace can do the desired absorption into our body system.
As a result some unique properties of the substance can increase your blood circulation; some other specific properties of the substance may flesh out toxins; few more friendly substance properties may induce cell growth.

Stress can change the complex chemistry of our bodies and affect our immune system. Body ache, head ache, indigestion etc., are the symptoms of stress. The prolonged stress influences the increased secretion of adrenalin and cortisol. The aromatherapy has solution to alleviate the problems of stress.
Modern research has ascertained that Jasmine / lavender oil could be used as an effective relaxant and efficient medicine for promoting sleep.

Aromatherapy relies on massage as its principal method for the application of essential oils. Full body massage is often found appropriate and at times the chosen limbs or body where discomfort is felt, are considered for massage. Massage is an efficient application to rejoice aromatherapy. The essential oils are fully absorbed by the body and the act of massaging also bring greater relief to discomfort. Massage also helps our body to get rid of toxins by stimulating our lymphatic system.
Aromatherapy reduces depression, relax our nerves and restores balanced mind. A handfull of essential oils i.e., Clary Sage, Frankincense, Lavender, Sweet Marjoram, Sandalwood, and Ylang Ylang are found to influence the secretion of neuro-stimulant known as “serotonin”. The serotonin is known for its relaxant and sleep inducing properties.

Aromatherapy is finding its application as a form of complementary and alternative medicine. We are able see and believe that aromatherapy is helping and bringing relief to millions of people where conventional medicine currently fails.

Article published by R.Muthuamy on July 17th, 2008 in HealthMad

Aromatherapy: An Alternative Therapy http://healthmad.com/alternative/aromatherapy-an-alternative-therapy/