Aromatherapy involves using essential oils to promote mental and physical wellbeing, a practice that has used by natural healers for centuries.
Essential oils act on the olfactory senses and sometimes are used topically to treat skin conditions or minor wounds.
Essential oils are concentrated extracts from flowers, fruit, seeds, peel, bark, roots and leaves of plants, herbs, spices and trees.
They are extracted by different methods including distillation, expression and solvent extraction and carry with them not only the beautiful aroma but special healing properties of the plant.
Synthetic oils (often called fragrance oils) cannot reproduce these qualities and will lack the important essential proprieties that provide the therapeutic benefits.
Essential oils were also used in the past by perfumers to create exotic perfume blends but today have been almost completely replaced by synthetics.
The aroma of essential oils triggers physical responses much the same way the smell of food causes our stomach to rumble.
The responses from essential oils can revive or relax, lower stress and bring about a sense of wellbeing.
Some practitioners also believe it is beneficial when absorbed through the skin. When used in massage essential oils can increase the heat in the superficial layers of the skin.
Many essential oils have excellent antibacterial and anti-fungal properties and are often used topically to treat minor wounds and bites.
In France, specialist practitioners train for many years to use essential oils internally.