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Aromatherapy |
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Aromatherapy |
Brief History:
In earliest times it was believed that spells or magic could enter the individual through the nose – hence aromatic substances were used in rituals (Lawless, 1998). The first physicians were priests, priestesses and shamans, tying together religion with medicine and aromatics bridging the two (Lawless, 1998). The aborigines have burnt eucalyptus to fumigate against sickness for thousands of years whilst the ancient Americans (native Americans) have burnt sage, cedarwood and sweetgrass to produce smoke that purifies in a procedure called ‘smudging’ (Worwood, 1999).
Mesopotamia, 3500 BC was one of the earliest civilizations to refine the healing arts. The oldest medical text found is on two clay tablets from the Sumerian period. Sumerian knowledge about aromatics and the healing arts was carried via trade routes to the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Greeks (Lawless, 1998).
Egypt – The Egyptians were very skilled pharmacists – the earliest book concerning this being the Egyptian Papyrus Ebers Manuscript (on materia medica, pharmacy and therapeutics) written about 1552 BC (Lawless, 1998). Fumigating with herbs was the chief method of preventing and remediating disease but there were still prayers said and spells invoked at the same time to increase their power and summon the gods’ favours (Lawless, 1998). The Egyptians used enfleurage (layering plant materials with fat) and maceration (infusing plant materials in oils) to extract essential oils as distillation had not been discovered (Battaglia, 2003).
Greece – Primitive Greek medicine began with Melampus (c 1400 BC) and ended with Hippocrates (c 460 BC). Asclepius was the god of medicine, worshipped by the Greeks and Romans but he was most probably based upon a living healer (Lawless, 1998). His cult combined primitive, magical and therapeutic methods with an empirical approach where the psychological aspect of the being was most important. To cure the body, the life-force had to be reactivated using incantations but also aromatics such as perfumes and incense to heighten the psychological state of the patient. Their methods were the forerunner to psychotherapeutic practice (Lawless, 1998).
Theophrastus (c 300 BC) wrote the most extensive account of the early therapeutic uses of aromatics, particularly in relation to the mind in his ‘Enquiry into Plants’ (‘Concerning Odours’) (Lawless, 1998).
Hippocrates believed that illness was due to an imbalance of the 4 humours and 4 elements : black bile (earth), yellow bile (air), blood (fire) and phlegm (water). He used aromatics to treat this imbalance, looking at the needs of both the physical body and the mind. He felt that having an aromatic bath and a scented massage daily was the key to good health (Lawless, 1998; Battaglia, 2003). Hippocrates was really the father of holistic medicine (Battaglia, 2003).
Dioscorides (c AD 100) mentions over 700 plants in his materia medica which were used in remedies (Lawless, 1998). Aromatherapy still uses some of his remedies today (Battaglia, 2003).
The Romans used unguents and powders in their bathing and perfuming but they also treated wounds with a mixture of wine and myrrh (Lawless, 1998; Battaglia, 2003). China and India have provided us with a variety of aromatic materials, such as cardomom, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli (India) and the citrus species (China) (Battaglia, 2003).
Arabian physicians developed the prophylactic and therapeutic uses of aromatic material (Davis, 2000). Avicenna (AD 980-1037) was a physician and scholar who wrote over 100 books in his life, his most important books being ‘The Book of Healing’, looking at astronomy, music, natural sciences, psychology and medicine and his ‘Canon of Medicine’ (Davis, 2000). He was originally thought to have invented the method of alembic distillation but a unit was found in Pakhistan in the 1970’s dating from 3000 BC, indicating that he revived and improved upon the process rather than inventing it. As far as aromatherapy is concerned, not only did he improve the distillation process for essential oils but he catalogued the descriptions and uses of plants and also methods of massage which retain their validity and clarity today (Battaglia, 2003; Davis; 2000).
In the middle ages, plague was an unavoidable part of life in Europe and it was believed that one of the chief causes was foul odour through the nose to the brain (Battaglia, 2003). Paracelsus (1493 – 1541) is credited with revolutionising medicine, laying foundations for both orthodox and alternative treatment (Battaglia, 2003).
During the 16th – 18th centuries the use of aromatics and incense was devalued, with much debate upon the effect the senses had on the emotions, mind and body by the Church. Both René Descartes and John Locke saw the body as a mere machine with all emotion being physiological in origin. There was a move by some, such as the 18th century physician Gaub, to make others see the mind as having a large part to play in physical illness (Lawless, 1998).
The 19th century saw a recognition that there was an inter-relatedness of matter and spirit and an interdependence of medicine and psychology. With the scientific revolution it was possible for chemists to identify individual constituents in essential oils and name them, e.g. ‘geraniol’, ‘cineol’ etc (Lawless, 1998; Battaglia; 2003).
Rene-Mauricé Gattefossé – was a French chemist who worked in the perfume business. After burning his hand badly in the laboratory one day, he plunged it into a vat of lavender oil thinking it was water and discovered the healing properties it had (Lawless, 1998; Davis, 2000). Gattefossé first coined the term ‘aromatherapy’. This was the start of the revival of using essential oils for healing (Davis, 2000). Gattefossé treated soldiers in military hospitals during the First World War using essential oils and noticed the power to heal they possessed. He recognised that applying essential oils was therapeutic and a discipline in its own right (Battaglia, 2003).
Dr Jean Valnet used essential oils as antiseptics to treat battle wounds and severe burns but he also used them to treat psychological illness very successfully in the 1950’s and 1970’s (Lawless, 1998; Davis, 2000; Lawless, 2002).
Marguerite Maury, a biochemist and beautician, was fascinated by the effect essential oils could have on the psychological processes. She worked on how you could blend oils specifically for any imbalance (Lawless, 1998; Lawless, 2002; Battaglia, 2003). Maury developed a system of ‘Individual Prescriptions’ or ‘IP’s’ that mirrored a patient’s identity, following assessment of their physical, mental and emotional states. In effect, a blend would be ‘tailor-made’ to fit the person and would therefore have a better chance of bringing about equilibrium (Lawless, 1998). Her work underlines the use of essential oils in massage. Micheline Arcier, who trained with Maury and Valnet, is credited with developing some of the most effective aromatherapy techniques still used today (Battaglia, 2003).
Aromatherapy is enjoying a resurgence of interest at present, with complementary therapies becoming popular with those who feel orthodox medicine cannot provide them with holistic care. Davis (2000) states that aromatherapy has become a valued holistic therapy and that it is being practiced now in many hospitals. It combines well with other ‘vibrational’ healing therapies such as colour, spiritual healing, Reiki and crystals. However, I believe the future for aromatherapy lies in becoming accepted as a viable complement to orthodox medicine. It needs to be a therapy that the medical profession can feel confident about dealing with and referring patients to when they have no further answers with chronic illness, or as a supplement to orthodox treatment. Indeed, along with acupuncture, osteopathy and chiropractic methods of treatment, it is probably one of the best known and trusted of the complementary therapies by the general public. If links can be strengthened between orthodox medicine and complementary therapies then healthcare can become a truly ‘holistic’ experience – a balance of science and spirit that takes care of each level of existence: body, mind, emotions and spiritual essence.
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