preview

Aromatherapy: What Are Essential Oils?

Decent Essays

What Are Essential Oils? Essential oils are natural plant extracts with incredible therapeutic capabilities. These organic compounds have been used for centuries for aesthetic purposes, as well as for mental, spiritual, and emotional enrichment. Essential oils can be extracted from a plant's flowers, fruit, leaves, stalks, bark, rind, seed, or roots. A single drop of these oils offers powerful and positive effects. Steam distillation is the most common way of extracting essential oils. Other methods include cold pressing, enfleruage, solvent extraction, and maceration. Essential oils possess the true essence of the plant it was obtained from and should not be confused with fragrant oils. Fragrant oils contain artificial ingredients and do not provide therapeutic benefits. Essential oils, on the other hand, have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiseptic …show more content…

The practice of utilizing the natural oils from plant leaves, bark, roots, stems, or flowers for therapeutic purposes is referred to as aromatherapy. It is a combination of the words “aroma” and “therapy,” which means fragrant and treatment respectively. Aromatherapy provides relief from the pain, enhances mood, and boosts intellectual performance. Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French cosmetic chemist coined the word in 1928. His curiosity about the regenerative properties of essential oils was triggered when he burned his hands and plunged them in lavender oil. In 1937, he released a book about the anti-microbial properties of the oils, and tested out their healing powers during his lifetime. It is said that the scent of essential oils can improve the mental and physical well-being of a person and using them in aromatherapy can creates a holistic synergy of the mind, spirit, and body. Today, aromatherapy is gaining popularity as a method of alternative treatment with many people aiming for a healthier lifestyle and searching for natural

Get Access