Your Basic Guide to Aromatherapy

Based on a long-studied science, aromatherapy is the act of inhaling fragrances from natural essential oils that have been extracted from leaves, blossoms, roots, bark and other plant parts to improve one’s sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well being.

There are many different ways that the aromatherapy fragrances are dispersed so that they can inhaled. Some people simply dab the essential oils on their neck, while others place the essential oil in a heated device that spreads the fragrances very effectively, and others still go with the unobtrusive, practical, and convenient method of purchasing pre-mixed fragrance canisters that they then plug into automated dispensers that intermittently release the fragrances either directly into the room or through a building’s HVAC system.

Aromatherapy in History

People have been inhaling fragrances for health, spiritual, and ritualistic reasons for thousands of years. There are records of the ancient peoples of India, Greece, China, Rome, and Egypt using essential oils as perfumes and medicines.

Over the centuries, various civilizations, have reportedly found that essential oils and their fragrances had healing properties with a number of famous medical treatises having been written on the subject  to include the first century’s De Materia Medica and the much more recent Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Végétales that may have been the first place the word was put into print when it was released near the start of the second world war.   

Now, aromatherapy is studied and practiced all around the world and is a practice that anyone anywhere can easily benefit from.

How Aromatherapy Works

Breathing in fragrances brings the molecules of the essential oils to your nasal cavity from where they are carried to your brain’s limbic system. This system is very important to your overall well being since it helps regulate your hormonal balance, blood pressure, breathing, heart rate, and stress. Another way that fragrances work is that they bring back memories of good times that will help you relax and be happy.  

Where to Use Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy can be used anywhere there are people. For example, there are great benefits to using aromatherapy in the car on the way to the office. Also, using the right fragrances in the home can have a great effect on everyone living there. A home housing the right fragrances will be more likely to be a home that is full of well-balanced, happy, and healthy people. Finally, aromatherapy can pay huge dividends inside businesses by helping people maintain positive attitudes and keep their levels of stress low.

Commonly Used Aromatherapy Fragrances

While the more common essential oils used for aromatherapy include cedarwood, chamomile, rose, peppermint, rosemary, jasmine, and eucalyptus, there are also plenty of pre-mixed fragrances that are quite popular as well.

One example of a popular ready-to-use fragrance is Doctor Aromas’ Hope fragrance that is made up of a healthy layer of tea tree leaves and citrusy lime, a nice mixture of sweet rose and jasmine, plus the after hints of ginger, sandalwood, patchouli, and gurjun balsam. Together, these antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory scents work to improve one’s concentration, stimulate his circulation, and strengthen his immune system.

Hope is just one example of how effective aromatherapy can be when expertly combined fragrances are used.