AN ANCIENT TRADITION

The first form of aromatherapy utilized different kinds of burning Woods, and the use of smoke in the form of incense has survived in almost all cultures.

The Indians & Egyptians used aromatics 5,000 years ago for medicinal, cosmetic purposes & also for preserving the Mummies. The Greeks used olive oil to absorb the odor from flower petals and herbs. Arab physicians perfected the method of distilling essential oils and brought them to Europe. By the 16th century, the women of the household made all kinds of remedies for home use. The new sciences of chemistry and pharmacology, however, reduced these practices to superstition, thus discouraging the use of aromatherapy until the beginning of the 20th century, when a succession of French chemists started to research the healing properties of essential oils. The first and foremost among them, Rene Maurice Gattefosse, turned his attention to the use of oils in dermatology after he discovered how lavender oil healed his burned hand. He coined the word "aromatherapy" in 1928 and published a book by the same title in 1937.

In the eastern cultures of India and China, however, the tradition remained unbroken. Vaidyas, ayurvedic physicians, treated Indian royalty with dried and fresh herbs, floral waters and aromatherapy oil massage.All essential oils have unique healing & valuable antiseptic properties............ AROMATHERAPY PART II