What is Aromatherapy?
Well, simply put, Aromatherapy is the use of Essential
Oils, through, physical application
or inhalation to enhance ones physical and or
spiritual well being.
Aromatherapy, as we know it, is an extremely modern
"invention". However use of the
plant products themsleves has been around since
Man first bound a wound with a leaf, or even smelled a flower.
Down through the ages man has used plant matter
in one form or another, from incense,
to pomades, perfumes and sachets, in hopes of
warding off plaque, body odor, for
perserving the dead, offering's to ones Gods,
and of course to keep beautiful and young.
Today we are "re-discovering" just how miraculous
plants can be, for health and in the
fight against dry skin, wrinkles and more.
Essential Oils .
Essential Oils are the direct result of steam
distillation and expression. The more
expensive oils such as Rose, Jasmine, Neroli,
can and are extracted using chemicals. The
result is called an Absolute. Purists, such as
myself, don't care to use Absolute's as there
are always minute quantities of the chemicals
present.
Steam distillation is pretty much what it sounds
like. The application of steam to plant
matter such as bark, flowers, fruits and
seeds to release the "Essence" of the plant. The
waters that are left after this process are called
"Hydrosols", or simply, "Floral Waters".
These Hydrosols are becoming a more valuable resource
for Aromatherapy, as we understand them more. They are more gentle, the
risk for overdose or harm is much less,
and the smell is wonderful.
Expression of Essential oils, is commonly used in the citrus essences. Squeeze the peel of an orange, see the liquid, that's your "hand expressed, Orange essential oil."
One other less common method of extraction is
called CO2 extraction, the use of Carbon
Dioxide to extract the plant's oil. Some say
this produces an extraordinary essential Oil,
and others disagree. Needless to say, the Jury
is still out, and one other thing to take into
consideration is it is a very expensive process.
The term "Essential Oil" is a bit misleading as
the result is not really an oil, but the
essence of the plant. You will find that the
Essences of the plant often will not smell the
same as the flower on the bush, and a lot of
people are disappointed when they smell the
oil for the first time. However, the more you
smell them, the more you notice about them. The depth, whether it
smells "earthy" or "light", if the odor lasts or is shortly
gone, whether it smells "right" or "off".
Hopefully, during this course, if you don't already
have your own oils, you will obtain
some, and enjoy the journey of discovering your
own oils particular "signature".
Next week, I will start with Lavender oil, some
of it's chemical make up, what it is
reputed to be best used for and more.
© 2000 Kathleen E. Petrides, SmeLLeNNium
- © 2000 Mother (page layout only)
