Aromatic plants and oils are used by different cultures all over the world. They are used in oils, perfumes, in incense, in religious ceremonies, in cooking and in medicine. Many of the medicinal products that are in use in our modern world are originally derived from plants and herbs, all be it that today it is the synthesised equivalent that is used by the pharmaceutical companies rather than the natural product.

Aromatherapy has been used by ancient civilisations for thousands of years.

The Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Indians all used essential oils for their well-being. Hippocrates – the Father of Modern Medicine is reported to have regularly used aromatherapy baths and oils. When a Roman doctor – Discorides in 50A.D decided to further the work of Hippocrates, the result was a 5 volume book called the ‘De Materia Medica’. This book gave a detailed outline of the healing properties of plants and how they affected the body.

However, it wasn’t until the 19^th century that Europe began to reap the benefits of essential oils, when a French chemist – Rene Maurice Gattefosse, having burnt his hand reputedly plunged it into the nearest cool liquid, which happened to be a beaker of Lavender oil. He subsequently found that not only did the wound heal quickly without infection, but neither did it leave a scar. It was he who coined the phrase ‘Aromatherapy’ derived from ‘Aroma’ meaning perfume or smell and ‘Therapy’ meaning treatment.

Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses that we possess, how many times has a memory been triggered by a smell? Essential oils stimulate our sense of smell and aromatherapy works best when it works on the mind and body simultaneously. It is believed that smells enter through cilia (fine hairs lining the nose) to the limbic system; this is the part of the brain that controls our moods emotions, memory and learning. However essential oils also work on the physical level. Today’s research has confirmed that essential oils have anti – bacterial, anti –fungal and anti-viral properties coupled with the anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, anti-toxic, anti-depressant, sedative and energising effects and more besides, this makes them very powerful substances.

Essential oils are complex in molecular structure and extremely powerful; never confuse their sweet smell with innocent appeal. Scientific studies have shown that essential oils contain chemical components that can exert specific effects on the mind and body. Each of the essential oils has their own healing properties. It is often the case that oils will be used in different combinations to allow healing to take place on different levels - physical, emotional and mental. The healing properties of essential oils are now widely recognised and are used widely in medicine all over the world. Aromatherapy is an important part of the holistic approach allowing people to take the initiative to help themselves and take a greater responsibility for their own health.

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