aromatherapy The use of appealing scents of
essential oils extracted from various flowers and
plants to induce relaxation and a sense of well-
being. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians
recognized the beneficial effects of pleasantly
scented baths, massages, steam inhalations, dif-
fusers, and vaporizers. Hippocrates, the Greek
known as the father of medicine, recommended
aromatic fumigation for ridding Athens of the
plague. Scents from essential oils were used
throughout the world with some intention of a
healing or therapeutic effect.
By the 1930s, the French chemist Dr. René-Mau-
rice Gattefossé proposed the term and the basic prin-
ciples of aromatherapy. Gattefossé began using
lavender oil after he had burned his hand in his lab-
oratory and quickly but inadvertently plunged it
into a container of lavender oil. That his hand healed
completely led him to think about and experiment
with the possible benefits of essential oils in general.
Gattefossé’s further research on the effectiveness of
essential oils led the French physician Jean Valnet to
make therapeutic use of them during World War II
as disinfectants and healing applications. Valnet
went on in 1964 to write a Aromatherapie, Traitement
des maladies par les essences des plantes (Aromatherapy,
treatment of illnesses by the essences of plants), and
to teach other physicians about essential oils.
Valnet’s students Marguerite Maury and Miche-
line Arcier revived the use of essential oils in Eng-
land, where there are now schools and clinics for
aromatherapy. The Italian scientists Dr. Renato
Cayola and Dr. Giovanni Garri also distinguished
themselves with studies on the psychological
effects of essential oils in the early 1920s, and Pro-
fessor Paolo Rovesti, of the University of Milan,
researched the effects and treated depressed
patients with combinations of jasmine, sandal-
wood, orange blossom, verbena, and lemon oil. For
treatment of anxiety disorders, he used bergamot,
neroli, cypress, orange leaf, lime, rose, violet
leaves, and marjoram. One contemporary physi-
cian helped a young girl with cancer to manage
pain by administering a conventional pain medica-
tion accompanied by a whiff of rose oil with each
dose. Eventually the girl needed only the fragrance
to feel relief from the pain. Throughout the history
of psychology, it has been known that an odor sig-
nificant in the memory of an individual can trigger
an array of somatic and emotional reactions.
According to Susanne Fischer-Rizzi, author of
the Complete Aromatherapy Handbook: Essential Oils
for Radiant Health(Sterling Publishing Company,
New York, 1990), “Aromatherapy acts in accor-
dance with holistic principles: it awakens and
strengthens vital energies and self-healing capabil-
ities of the patient. Essential oils can deeply influ-
ence our psychic equilibrium or psychological
well-being and regulate physical imbalances—
removing ‘soil’ on which illness flourish.... In
addition, essential oils invite one to appreciate the
beauty and wonders of creation, providing us inner
contentment.... They have the ability to directly
affect the brain and, from there, many psychologi-
cal and physiological processes.”
Aromatherapy enthusiasts and practitioners
report that the cranial olfactory (odor-sensing)
nerves act by transmitting impulses from odor mol-
ecules through the nasal passages to the limbic sys-
tem, the seat of memory and emotion. Some claim
certain aromas can trigger glandular stimulation,
thus producing either calming or energizing
results. For example, lavender is said to lower
blood pressure; relieve headache, depression,
inflammation, burns and cuts, menstrual cramps,
and insect bites; and fight bacteria. Other aromas,
such as peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, rosemary,
chamomile, thyme, tarragon, and everlasting,
allegedly help one deal with all manner of ailments
and discomfort, including fungal infections, con-
gestion, gas and liver problems, allergies, insomnia,
digestive problems, stress, bronchitis, arthritis,
muscle and other types of injuries, and skin prob-
lems such as boils and pimples. Aromatherapy may
be administered via inhalation (usually in steam),
diffusion (spraying into the air), massage (direct
application to skin), bath water, and hot and cold
compresses. Essential oils, which may be poiso-
nous, are never to be taken internally.
Although aromatherapy is usually considered
safe, precautions must be taken by those with
asthma (many oils can set off bronchial spasms) or
allergies, pregnant women (sage, rosemary, and
juniper oils may trigger uterine contraction), and
infants and young children, who may be hypersen-
sitive to a potent essential oil. Also, the high con-aromatherapy 9