What Is Aromatherapy?

"The nose knows."  

Have you ever been nature walking and suddenly catch a whiff of jasmine or honeysuckle and been immediately transported back in time to your grandmother's home in the country?  Suddenly, you are awash in memories of a happier, more innocent time, and you smile in the feeling of joy and serenity. 

Once, in passing, I caught a faint scent of Old Spice aftershave mingled with a touch of tobacco and in a flash I was with my grandfather standing on top of his big size 11 shoes as he danced around the room with me. Suddenly I felt safe and secure and knew that all was right in the world. That feeling stayed with me the rest of the day.

You can probably think of a multitude of images and emotions conjured up by a familiar fragrance.  Scent is a language that speaks to the subconscious and can evoke a wide range of thoughts and feelings.  Smell is one of the least noticed senses when experiencing the physical plane, but it is one of the most powerful memory and psychological triggers.   

Aromatherapy uses natural essential oils extracted from flowers, herbs, plants, and trees in tiny amounts for use in massage, aromatic baths, various cosmetic preparations, inhalations, and compresses.  Because each droplet of essential oil contains an extreme concentration of plant material, they must be used with great care and invariably diluted in a carrier oil, distilled or floral water, ethyl alcohol, or non-fragrant bath gel/lotion before using. We will discuss the methods later. Always follow label warnings and cautions.

The essential oils used in aromatherapy act on the body in various ways.  Some stimulate, others have a calm and soothing effect, some are analgesic, and most are highly antiseptic.  But, most essential oils have a profound effect on the emotions, and thus, aromatherapy seeks to restore and balance body, mind, and spirit. They are wonderful keys to creating mood and atmosphere, so when creating a specific blend, always use synergistic oils, those that have mutually enhancing power and work together.  In other words, you do not want to blend oils with opposite effects such as a calming oil and a stimulating one.  They are powerful essences and should be respected and highly esteemed. In a way, an essential oil represents the quintessence or spirit/soul of a plant.

How are they obtained?  Pure essential oils are aromatic substances extracted by distillation, expression, or solvent extraction from either flower,  fruit (peel), leaf, grass, seed, root, or tree.