History of Aromatherapy
We didn’t always know it by the name “aromatherapy,” but our relationship with plants, and their important medicinal properties, spans millennia. Since the time our ancestors discovered the healing powers of aromatic plant essences, that wisdom has permeated the very story of humanity. Delve into our common history, and you will find traces of this ancient knowledge applied across civilizations and eras.
Had you lived in Egypt in 4500 B.C.E., for instance, you would have watched priests embalm the dead with myrrh and cinnamon. Or, had you been an aristocratic woman, you would have scented your evening bath with essential oils, perhaps indulging in an aromatic cedarwood and cypress oil massage before going to bed. And as a laborer sweating in the harsh Egyptian noontime heat, you would have welcomed the natural deodorant recipes that were being passed around by 1500 B.C.E.
Meanwhile, had you lived in a tropical climate, you would have learned to liberally season your dishes with curry, killing the harmful germs that thrive in hot, humid weather.
The intoxicating smells of locally available aromatic plants would have permeated your daily worship in some parts of the world. For instance, you might have prayed at Babylonian temples built of perfumed mortar or meditated at Indian temples of aromatic sandalwood.
In ancient Rome, you would have relaxed in bathhouses filled with the sweet smell of aromatic oils or ambled through narrow streets where merchants enticed you with the scent of precious essential oils to be sprinkled on hair, skin, clothes – and just about everywhere!
Aromatherapy’s history is also woven throughout our ancient texts. The Bible describes how Moses blended holy anointing oil from myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and olive oil to create a powerful antiviral and antibiotic potion. And in Arabia, an entire book was dedicated to the magical properties of single plant: the rose. Its writing coincides with a time when Crusaders were bringing precious rosewater back to Europe, inspiring a thriving perfume industry around that essence alone.
Though humans have used plants medicinally for thousands of years, synthetic chemicals began to replace traditional natural essences by the late eighteen hundreds, and ancient wisdom was discredited almost overnight. We’ve only recently begun to recover from this brief disconnect from our own history and from nature’s generosity.
Today, interest in plant essences has blossomed once more, thanks in part to the pioneering work of Frenchman René Maurice Gattefosé, who coined the term “aromatherapy.” After a laboratory accident burned his arm and caused him to plunge it into the nearest liquid he could find – a container of lavender oil – he discovered that his pain immediately lessened and that the oil promoted healing without blistering or scarring. Inspired by the discovery, he dedicated his life to researching the healing properties of lavender and other essential oils.
We are now rediscovering what our ancestors have always known, and are using aromatherapy and essential oils to do everything from treat the flu, add a dash of flavor to dinner, discourage flees from pestering the family dog, and keep aphids off our prized tomatoes. We’re adding them to fragrant baths to help soothe our spirits after a tired day, or dabbing them onto our temples to energize our thoughts.
Over three hundred essential oils are available for our benefit today; how might they help you?