Weekends are all about family time, and also me time.
This year is all about self-improvement – I put a lot of things on hold since completing my Fitness Nutrition course, thanks to having a baby (busy busy) but now, it’s time to keep learning and improving myself once more. I’m currently delving into the world of Aromatic Studies – the science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit. Yes indeed, I hope to be a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist‘ (CCA) by the end of it all..
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So the first thing I asked myself was.. What is Aromatherapy?
Was it some feel good factor from sniffing pleasant smelling things..? Such as clean laundry or the lawn after it’s mowed?
Well, there’s more to it than that, actually.
Aromatherapy, also be referred to as Essential Oil Therapy, encompasses the holistic application and use of essential oils to support the health and well-being of a person. And although aromatic plants have been known to man for a while, aromatherapy as we know to be still in its infancy. And that’s why it fascinates me – there’s much to uncover and learn.
Can you imagine a world where we nourish and support the health of our bodies, without resorting to medicinal products – something natural that can be used to support the body’s own healing processes?
So what exactly is ‘aromatherapy’.
The French perfumer and chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, was first a perfume maker before everything else. He loved scents and aromas. But then, he got facinated by the clinical aspects of perfumes, and coined the term “aromatherapie”. Basically he was the man who distinguish the medicinal application of essential oils from their perfumery applications. Gattefosse wrote many articles on his tests on the medicinal actions of essential oils.
He also discovered the virtues of the essential oil of lavender.
Gattefosse was working in the laboratories of the cosmetics firm owned and named after his family. He badly burned his hand during an experiment and plunged his hand into the nearest tub of liquid which just happened to be lavender essential oil. He was later amazed at how quickly his burn healed and with very little scarring. This started a fascination with essential oils and inspired him to experiment with them during the First World War on soldiers in the military hospitals. He used oils of lavender, thyme, lemon and clove for their antiseptic properties. Gattefosse noted an increase in the rate of healing in wounds treated with essential oils and that the oils seemed to be free from the disadvantages present with other antiseptic agents in use at that time.
So the science if it is real. And the healing agents or natural chemicals in plant are real. In fact, looking around my pharmacy I can see a heap of meds that have some sort of botanics in them or other, employed for healing people, used in modern day medicines. So if it works, why use it in part? Why mix it with chemicals even. Why not consider them as therapeutic agents in whole, not in part.
Gattefosse wrote several books on essential oils citing cures of skin cancer, facial ulcers, gangrene, and Black Widow spider bites. He always promoted the use of the oils in their complete and unadulterated form, discouraging the fragmentation of the oils in search of their ‘active ingredients’. And you know, not all oils are created equal. You need to work with the highest therapeutic grade, essential oils for the best results. You can only obtain this from a reputable source where the strictest processes and QC are adhered to for extraction of these delicate aromatic oils.
So fascinating! Join me on my quest for deeper knowledge as I explore the realm of Aromatic Studies on a weekly basis right here on Cikipedia.
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