Aroma Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aroma Therapy - Essay Example This discussion briefly examines the history of aroma therapy then details the benefits and potential risks. It also provides scientific evidence for its power to heal, its applications and delivery methods and describes numerous conditions that would potentially improve from aroma therapy in addition to its prevalent use. Aromatics and herbs have been used for treating a number of ailments and the preservation of food since the earliest beginnings of humankind. The Egyptians are credited with originating the method of Aromatherapy that people today would likely recognize. They were the first to record using the infusion method to extract aromatic plant oils to use for medicinal purposes. At about this same time, 2700 BC, the Chinese are known to use a form of aroma therapy. India has also used aromatherapy for centuries. Western societies knew little of aroma therapy until the 1800’s. The term aroma therapy was coined in 1937 when a scientist published the healing affects of lavender oil after he accidentally burned his hand and used the oil he was experimenting with at the time (Ancient Times, 2007). People use specific therapeutic, or essential, oils for specific needs such as a mood enhancer, to relax or for an energy boost. â€Å"Not all oils are used to calm the body. Some, such as rosemary in the bath, can be used to stimulate the body† (Urbick, 2006). Users of therapeutic oils also receive the added bonus of the inherent healing effects of aromatic oils which many do not realize is a side-benefit of the therapy. Many types of oils contain similar health-enhancing properties found in domestic cleaning agents such as anti-viral, anti-septic and anti-fungal agents. Oils are extracted from many types of plants by utilizing an assortment of methods such as cold expression, alcohol extraction or steam distillation. Therapeutic oils are usually used externally and can be used in combination, or