What Is Aromatherapy? By Joyce Zeller, The Spa Shop Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to enhance the wellness of the body. It is both an art and a science that depends on the experience of the aromatherapist for success.
No two people respond to essential oils in the same way, so each one must do a little experimenting to see what works best. Why are essential oils so special? They are the "life force" or the soul of the plant and contain hundreds of very complex parts including vitamins and hormones. They are 100 times more concentrated than herbs. Essential oils are the product of distilling plants and flowers down to the concentrated essence. They are called "essential" because they are pure essence of the plant, distilled with everything but the scented material discarded. The distilling technique began in ancient Arabia where physicians were looking for the "essence" or "beginning spark" of life as a regenerating medicine. These oils get into your bloodstream through inhalation or through your skin with bathing, massage or direct application. When they get into your bloodstream some migrate to internal organs where they stimulate detoxing. Others go to sites of pain, inflammation or infection where they heal and soothe. Still others journey along the olfactory nerve to the limbic center of your brain where they stimulate the release of neurochemicals that change your mood, stimulate or relax. It takes about twenty minutes for the oils to work and the effect can last from two hours to all day. These oils are a hundred times more powerful than herbs, so caution is necessary. The Spa Shop is available for information and advice. Call 1-800-453-1252 or write for assistance.
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