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Aromatherapy, Perfumery &
The Use of Essential Oils
Aromatherapy is a complete psychosomatic system of healing, a holistic approach to health and well-being by the use of aromas - scents derived from the plant kingdom. It can be described as an art as well as a science; an art because of the intuitive, creative and aesthetic aspects of preparing special blends for each individual person, and a science because it rests on sound scientific knowledge.
The use of aromatic substances in healing, far from being a newly discovered therapy, has been with mankind since the beginning of time. There is not only anecdotal but also practical evidence of the use of plant essences be many ancient civilizations all over our planet.
Essential Oils are aromatic liquids contained within an aromatic plant. They are fragrant, highly volatile (quickly evaporate when in contact with the air) liquids which are produced naturally in specialized glands of aromatic plants as a part of the mechanism of photosynthesis. According to the ISO, (International Organization for Standardization) an essential oil is defined:-
"An essential oil is a product made by distillation with either water or steam or by mechanical processing of citrus rinds or by dry distillation of natural materials. Following the distillation, the essential oil is physically separated from the water phase."
It is often said by complementary practitioners who use the oils that they contain the life-force of the plant. Indeed, some romantic botanists state that the fragrance of an essential oil is a plant's signature, while in literature essential oils are sometimes described as the life and soul of an aromatic plant. However, it should always be remembered that essential oils are very volatile and should be handled with respect and care. For the sake of completeness, we have included many essential oils, within these pages that are not necessarily used in alternative medicine, but may be used in perfumery, in the food industry, or for other purposes.
Essential oils are produced in plants during the process of photosynthesis, which is part of the plants metabolic cycle. Over the years researchers have offered different theories about this. For example, perserite (a type of alcohol), and other polyhydric alcohols, which are found in aromatic plants and also contain over six hydroxylic functions, may be the foundations for the formation process of essential oils during photosynthesis.
The term 'essential oil' is nowadays, often very loosely applied to all aromatic products that have been derived from natural sources, and sometimes not from natural sources. Strictly speaking an essential oil is produced by either, distillation or expression from natural plant materials, however, for completeness we also will follow the contempory conventions and include, concretes, absolutes, enfleurage, pomades etc.
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