Aromatherapy History:

A Brief History of Aromatherapy from Around the Globe

If you mention aromatherapy to a majority of people they immediately think of it being just one of the many new fads that has come to light with the hope of promising relief and a miracle cure for all ills. However, this is far from true. Aromatherapy is no fad.

While aromatherapy can bring relief to a number of conditions and is one of the leading aids for helping with stress related disorders, it has been around for thousands of years. In fact, aromatherapy is actually one of the oldest kinds of holistic medicine used throughout the world. During the prehistoric times they didn’t have the resources that we have today, and there were very little sanitary measures and certainly no drug stores or doctors.

However, people still got sick and this meant they had to find resources of their own and rely on what they had in their surroundings. One of the ways by which they learned during these times were by watching animals; they learned that animals would eat certain herbs and plants while avoiding others.

This is how the basis of aromatherapy started. It was found that not only could the herbs and plants be eaten to relieve many ailments, but they also could be crushed and used as infusions and even their smell brought relief. This was the birth of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy as we know it and practice it today was first given to us by the Egyptians. The Egyptians learned not only were the plants and herbs useful when crushed but also oils could be extracted. This oil was a more potent way of using the flowers and herbs for medicinal remedies.

While the Egyptians were developing their aromatherapy techniques, so were the Chinese. One of the earliest books on aromatherapy dates back to 2,700 BC and lists over 300 plants and herbs and their uses.

However, it was the Greeks who went on to discover that oils extracted from certain flowers were more useful for relaxation purposes while others for more medical reasons. It was the Greeks who also introduced the base of olive oil into which to put the extracted essence. The Romans quickly adopted this from the Greeks, and it was here that the aromatherapy baths were introduced; these baths were then followed by a hot oil massage.

The popularity of aromatics used for a wide range of ills increased, and this led to the importation of exotic spices, flowers, and oils from India, China, and Arabia.

When Europe descended into the dark ages, aromatherapy went with it, as anything that wasn’t classed as traditional Western medicine was put into the “witchcraft” bracket and those who practiced aromatherapy were branded as a witch. Aromatherapy resurfaced again during the Middle Ages when the bubonic plague was prevalent; it was found that the scent from burning cedar and pine would help to fumigate infected enclosures.

When European settlers came to America they were surprised to find that the Native Americans had been using aromatic oils for a long time for a wide variety of uses. Finally, around the 19th century, the value of aromatherapy was truly recognized and traditional medicine started taking aromatherapy seriously.

Today aromatherapy is available to be used in the home, and although a little knowledge and understanding of the herbs and their uses is needed, you don’t have to be an expert to be able to make the remedies for yourself.

Learn more about infusions and applying aromatherapy in our list of articles found here.