The form of treatment known as Aromatherapy is both a science and an art. It involves the use of natural plants to promote good health. It is administered to benefit people, both physically and psychologically, but you don't need to be ill to take advantage of its potential. Because it is restorative, as well as curative, it is widely used for relaxation and pleasure.
Essential Oils
Aromatherapy is concerned with the use of essential oils to assist in keeping us healthy in mind and body. The essential oils are extracted from plants including flowers, leaves, fruits, barks, roots, and stalks. People are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of a natural health lifestyle, and what could be more natural than obtaining a dose of nature itself, through the use of aromatherapy? Used as part of a regular routine, it can help you to avoid becoming ill in the first place, and to be relaxed but alert.
Different essential oils have different effects, and they vary in their potency. Depending on the plants from which they were extracted they may be anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antibiotic, or anti-viral, or a combination of any of these. Essential oils may be used as tonics or sedatives, to promote relaxation or enhance a particular state of mind in a drug free way.
It cannot be overstated that the essential oils used in aromatherapy are one of the most natural ways to facilitate good health. Various hazards are caused by pollutants in the air, due to our industrialized society. There are all sorts of obnoxious contaminants creating bad smells that may be thought of as the complete opposite of essential oils and aromatherapy. Unfortunately synthetic air fresheners may do little more than mask the airborne invaders. It is good to know that there is an established science, in aromatherapy, that can more adequately assist with the threat. There is nothing to compare with the scents of nature, but not everybody knows that they can be made conveniently available through the essential oils of aromatherapy.
Extracting the Oil from the Plants
There are various ways that essential oils are extracted from plants, including distillation, pressing, solvent extraction and effleurage. For those who are interested there are many sources that explain the processes in detail, and a trip to your local library, or an online search could be beneficial.
How Does Aromatherapy Work?
Various essential oils have different uses. If you have ever walked through a pine forest you will know that the aroma from the trees is very refreshing. If it was a holiday experience you might consider how marvelous it would be, if you could bottle that wondrous smell and take it home! You can do just that because that is what aromatherapy is partly about. Bottling nature so you can take it home, add a few drops to your bath water, sit back and create a holiday experience in the privacy of your own home. Using aromatherapy in this way is doubly effective as you derive benefit from inhalation, and through the skin.
It is reassuring to know that aromatherapy has been the subject of a great deal of research, and is firmly established as a form of complementary medicine, and is gaining increasing recognition in conventional medical practice. Formal training is widely available, to degree and diploma level, for those who wish to take up the subject as a career. Therefore, there will always be dedicated professionals available, to administer to the needs of all who have discovered the wonderful benefits of this most natural of treatments.
By Richard Wise
