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Aromatherapy
Oils-Friend Or Foe?
These days I find it hard to make some time to relax and take
care of myself. Recently I decided to stop using products that contain chemicals
such as paraben and have grown an increasing interest in herbal remedies.
Aromatherapy oils are readily available in various forms, either in a small
glass bottle in your local health shop, or as a full-blown retreat at a health
spa - the latter being slightly more expensive. However, I have always been
sceptical about how effective they actually are in healing wounds and scars on
your body.
My scepticism derives from herbs and aromatherapy oils that have claimed to heal
burns, scars and treat serious illnesses. Having grown up with a scald on my
right hand, I have used numerous medications and creams (some herbal) to try to
rid the scar, but none has been successful. However, I do believe that
aromatherapy is important for meditation, relaxation, relieving specific
illnesses, promoting a balanced healthy lifestyle and improve blood circulation
in your body through massage therapy. Using herbal remedies and aromatic oils is
a practise that has been around for many years, and is still popular today.
History
The word aromatherapy was first used in 1920, though the practise of
aromatherapy has been around as early as 4000BC. The Egyptians used aromatherapy
oils, herbal extracts and fragranced water for cosmetic use, spiritual
relaxation and embalming dead bodies for mummification. They were the first to
coin the term perfume, as men and women would place a solid perfume cone on top
of their heads, which would eventually melt coating them in a strong fragrance.
The Greeks borrowed many relaxation techniques from the Egyptians using herbal
plant extracts and aromatic oils, only they credit this knowledge to the gods.
However, the Greeks, namely Hippocrates (founder of medical physiology 400BC)
had also used this for medical and health purposes. They were able to determine
some of the beneficial properties of using aromatic herbal oils in baths and
massaging oil as a way to treat illnesses avoiding medical surgery as much as
possible.
Aromatherapy oils were an integral part of our civilisation in terms of health
benefits and healing. The Romans were soon to follow this practise using
techniques from the Egyptians and the Greeks. One of the most famous Greek
physicians Claudius Galen (150AD) became the personal physician to Emperor
Marcus Aurelius and used herbal medicine to treat the wounds of gladiators.
The Romans also picked up the technique of plant distillation and extracting
floral water from natural herbs. Later in the Persian civilisation, Ibn Sina,
known in Europe as Avicenna (around 1000AD) had followed on from this and
introduced steam distillation of plants to produce essential oils. Prior to this
aromatic and floral waters was used more.
Modern Aromatherapy
The contemporary world today is somewhat more fast-paced and busier than they
perhaps were in the earlier Greek, Egyptian and Roman periods. The French
chemist in 1920 Rene Maurice Gattefosse was the first to coin the term
aromatherapy and has to this day influenced the way aromatherapy is taught and
practised today. Essential oils are still used as they are considered to hold
the soul of the plant extract, making its benefits and healing properties
extremely potent.
Aromatic oils not only used for healing wounds and improving health, but also to
relieve anxiety, depression, aggression, panic attacks, stress and even fatigue.
Modern science has proven that many of herbal plants do indeed contain potent
chemicals that alleviate physical and psychological symptoms. Peppermint for
instance is used to relieve indigestion and stomach discomforts, whereas
chamomile oil is used for calming the senses and relaxing the nervous system.
People do use various types of pain relief and medication for flu's that contain
herbal treatments such as eucalyptus oil, however many of us do not know that
this has been the foundation of modern medication and pharmacy. Others refuse to
believe that herbal remedies are affective at all, but I believe that through
patience and continued use one may see a difference. Compared to using products
with added chemicals that could eventually damage your health long-term, using
herbal extracts and oils are a much safer and healthier way of living.
Anna Stenning has been an avid believer in using aromatherapy oils and herbal
remedies for leading a healthy lifestyle. Most of the products she purchases are
from http://www.neoils.com/
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