Maria Teresa De Donato, Ph.D., RND, CNC, CMH, CHom
Aromatherapy, the “study of scent,” can be defined as the use of
essential oils for physical and emotional health and well-being.
Although this technique has been known for centuries, modern Western science has only acknowledged its efficacy recently. The employment of Aromatherapy dates back, in fact,
to the time of ancient civilizations such as that of the Chinese, Indians,
Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, who used its essential oils in the
form of cosmetics, perfumes, and drugs for both therapeutic and
hygienic purposes and for spiritual and religious rituals.
This
holistic methodology uses botanical compounds and aromatic plant
oils, like essential oils and other aromatic ingredients that benefit our mood and psychological and physical
well-being. Essential oils are the essence of each specific
plant. They can be identified as the plant’s ‘fingerprint.’ Although each of them serves a specific purpose depending on
the intrinsic properties of the plant it originates from, the
therapeutic use of each oil can be issued through topical
application, massage, inhalation, or water immersion to stimulate the
specific and desired response.
Incense,
for instance, has been used for millennia by most cultures and all
major religions. Being composed of aromatic plants and essential
oils, it has been burnt to release its fragrant smoke primarily in
rituals. The fact that so many different cultures located in
faraway lands, such as ancient Egyptians, Indus, Chinese, Japanese,
Indians, the Jews, and Romans, all have been using it, or at least
used it at some point in time, in their spiritual and/or religious
ceremonies highlights an important aspect: the incense has always
been seen as the element par excellence able to purify not only the
air, environments, and clothes, but above all to restore peace and
purity at a mind-body-spirit level along with balance and harmony
between the individual and the Divine (you can call It/Him/Her, Life,
Cosmo, Universe, Nature, God or as you like, according to your
personal preference and belief). Hence, it's no surprise that main
religions, such as the Catholic and the Orthodox, just to name a few,
are still using incense in their ceremonies nowadays.
The
employment of aromatherapy and essential oils was also known in the Western Judaic and Christian traditions. In the book of
Exodus (Bible, Old Testament), in chapter 30, we find references to
mixtures of different herbs and essential oils. The first one we refer to was composed of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus,
cassia, and olive oil, a combination which would have served as an ointment, perfume, and anointing oil and accompanied by the burning of
incense. (Exodus 30: 1, 23-27) The second reference we find in the
same chapter relates to a mixture of perfumes, that is, onycha,
galbanum, and pure frankincense. (Exodus 30: 34-38)
Myrrh,
quoted in the first reference we mentioned, has been used not only in
ancient Judaism but also in Traditional Chinese Medicine (called by
TCM Mo yao) and Ayurveda Medicine (known as Daindhava).
Its intrinsic properties make myrrh an antiseptic, analgesic,
astringent, and expectorant aid. It is aromatic, with a bitter, spicy taste and a cooling effect. It is very beneficial to heart and
circulatory problems, liver, and spleen meridians and can facilitate the
removal of stagnant blood from the uterus. According to TMC, it is
also helpful in rheumatic and arthritic conditions, amenorrhea,
dysmenorrhea, menopause, and uterine tumors.
Cinnamon
(Cassia is also a kind of Cinnamon) is considered by TCM a
Yang tonic herb, which is used in case of Yang
deficiency or weakness. In TMC, Yang deficiency is characterized by
“low back pain, impotence, diarrhea, and weakness in the four
extremities” (Tillotson, 2001, p. 70) A Chinese research has shown
that the endocrine system may also benefit from the use of Yang tonic
herbs. (p. 70)
Calamus
(Sweet Calamus) has been known
for its medicinal properties in Judaism and by the Chinese
and Indians. Calamus is considered to have sedative, laxative,
diuretic, and carminative properties.
From
the Greek Hippocrates, known as “the Father of medicine,” who
used to prescribe perfumed therapies, to the Persian physician
Avicenna, who discovered how to distill the essential oils from the
rose petals, aromatherapy spread widely both in the East and West
world as a means to fight all kinds of illnesses. In the Western world,
after knowing a relatively short, dark period, aromatherapy reemerged
at the beginning of the 20th
century thanking the work of physicians and scientists, such as
the French Dr. Jean Valnet, who started using essential oils in their
medical practice in order to treat both physical and psychiatric
conditions. (Balch & Stengler, 2004, pp. 651, 652) Today, from
juniper to lavender, from rosemary to rose, just to name a few of the
thousands of herbs and oils, aromatherapy and essential oils are amply
used worldwide both as an alternative or as a complementary
methodology to mainstream medicine.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in the present article is for educational
purposes only and not intended as medical advice. Whatever your
situation, consult with your physician first. To know more about how
Aromatherapy can help you and what kind(s) of essential oil(s) to
choose from and/or to integrate into other conventional or holistic
methodologies according to your personal needs, please write
to info@dedoholistic.com.
References:
Tillotson,
A. K. (2001). The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook. Chapter 6: The
Language of Herbs: Essential Concept and Vocabulary. Understanding
Yin, Yang, and Qi.
(p. 70). New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Balch,
J. F. (2004). Prescription for Natural Cures. Aromatherapy.
(pp. 651, 652). Hoboken, NJ: Balch Enterprises, LLC and
Strenglervision, Inc.
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