History of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy has been around for a very long time; it arguably began in Egypt, several thousand years ago, when the Egyptians used various plant oils for medicinal, fragrant, cosmetic, and spiritual uses. This marked the beginning of the story and history of aromatherapy. Many of the substances used to preserve body parts during the mummifying process are used for healing in aromatherapy today.

The Greeks had several aromatherapy-type remedies for illnesses as well. The most well-known of these was megaleion, which was a myrrh-based lotion used for its anti inflammatory effects and wound healing potential. The history of aromatherapy was not greatly developed during the time of the Romans; whilst the Romans did perfect a distilling technique, they preferred using it to develop floral waters rather than essential oils.

By the twelfth century in history, lavender was well-known as a healing agent, and was commonly distilled for medicinal purposes. In the fourteenth century, an interesting phenomenon was noted: perfumers seemed much less susceptible to the Black Death than those around them. What caused this? Could it be their constant contact with potent fragrances that helped them? This opened a whole new window of speculation about the preventative and healing powers of plants.

Perhaps the greatest advance of aromatherapy history came in the 1900's with the French chemist and scholar René Maurice Gattefossé, who is sometimes referred to as "the father of modern aromatherapy". When Gattefossé had the misfortune to burn his hand whilst working in a perfume plant, he thrust his hand into the nearest cooling liquid, which happened to be a bucket of lavender oil. He was amazed at how quickly the burn healed and how little scarring occurred. From then on, Gattefossé was devoted to researching essential oils. In fact, he was even the one who coined the term aromatherapie in 1928 for the title of one of his books!.

Aromatherapy history helped us hone in the properties of this selective alternative medicine and we continue to develop further even today; with modern equipment, distilling is even easier and quicker than ever, our knowledge of this branch of healing continues to grow. Whilst some scientists are skeptical as to the actual healing merits of aromatherapy, many people have experienced recoveries as a result of this interesting science, and its following continues to grow.