Aromatherapy
From Art to Science - An Alternative Medicine
by Tania Biclea

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is an ancient art, and today a science, which uses essential oils to promote health, beauty and well being. It has the ability to heal and balance the body, mind and spirit. Ever since the time of the Pharaohs essential oils of flowers and plants have been used for their healing and beautifying properties. Over the past fifty years these properties have been rediscovered and verified by European scientific research, establishing the therapeutic use of essential oils throughout the world.

In the early twentieth century a French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, introduced the term "aromatherapy." The word may have been new but the practice of aromatherapy was a part of life well before history was recorded. Today the aromatic science known as aromatherapy is undergoing a modern renaissance led by innovative scientists and practitioners, first in Europe, and now in North America.

What are Essential Oils?

The Natural aromatic oils are located in the roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, bark, stem, resin or fruit peels. These parts of the plant are subject to various methods of extraction (usually steam distillation) which breaks down the cell walls and releases the essential oils.

So, what is it about these mysterious oils that makes them so special? Essential oils concentrate the spiritual and vital forces of the plant into a material form. They are the concentrated life force of the plant, making them potent forces for healing even in small amounts. They are the most potent form of herbal energy. Some people consider them to be the hormones of the plant. They have anti-viral, antibiotic, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. One of the most incredible features is their ability to penetrate the skin and be absorbed into the blood stream.

The best aspect of using essential oils medicinally is that they enter and leave the body with great efficiency, leaving no toxins behind. When used knowledgeably essential oils can help strengthen the body, mind and spirit without side effects.

How Does it Work?

Once extracted the chemical constituents of the particular oil will determine its action. Based on their natural chemical ingredients different oils will help with different health conditions. On average an essential oil contains one hundred components.

Essential oils consist of chemical compounds which have hydrogen, carbon and oxygen as their building blocks. In aromatherapy the essential oils have four modes of action with regards to how they inter-relate to the human body:

1. -Pharmacological - the effects of the chemical changes which take place when an essential oil enters the blood stream and reacts with enzymes, hormones, etc.

2. -Physiological - the effects that an essential oil has on the systems of the body; whether they are sedating or stimulating, etc.

3. -Psychological - once an essential oil is inhaled, what is the individual’s response to that scent.

4. -Holistic - the total response of the pharmacological, physiological and psychological response to the human body.

Essential oils work on the physical body by helping to heal burns, wounds, and skin conditions. The most effective way to use essential oils is by external application or inhalation. Either way the aromatic natural molecules enter the blood stream and interact with our body biochemistry. The methods used include body massage oils, compresses, lotions, baths (including sits, hand and foot baths), hair rinses, and inhalation.

Essential oils work at the mental and emotional level. When the aromatic molecules are inhaled, some embark on their journey to the lungs and enter the blood stream and some dissolve in the mucus in our noses and meet the olfactory cells. A message is passed immediately through nerve fibres to the olfactory area of the brain which is connected to the limbic area (involved in our emotional responses, memory, intuition, sex drive), hypothalamus and pituitary gland (which controls the hormones of the nervous and endocrine systems).

Some scientists attribute the effectiveness of essential oils to their electrical frequency. Frequency is the measurable rate of electrical energy that is constant between any two points. Everything has a frequency. Dr. Robert Becker established that the human body has an electrical frequency and Dr. Bruce Tainio has determined that the average frequency of the healthy human body is 62-72 Hz. If the frequency drops to 58 Hz cold symptoms appear, at 55 Hz candida is present and at 42 Hz, cancer.

Dr. Royal Rief found that every disease has a frequency and that substances with a higher frequency will destroy diseases with a lower frequency. Essential oils start at 52 Hz and go as high as 320 Hz. They have the highest frequency of any natural substances, creating an environment in which disease, bacteria and viruses cannot live.

The most effective and enjoyable way of using essential oils is applying a customized, synergetic blend during an aromatherapy massage treatment.

Standards of Quality

Aromatherapy is a "buzz" word today. Many stores carry products with aromatherapy claims. For this reason it is up to us, the consumer, to distinguish between the two aspects of aromatherapy: (1) "recreational" aromatherapy, and (2) "clinical" aromatherapy or alternative medicine.

"Recreational" aromatherapy was brought into the marketplace with such scented products as candles, air fresheners, bath oils and shampoos. They are all very colourful and nicely wrapped, and contain perfumes, synthetic fragrances or essential oils. Using these products, we may create a pleasant environment but we don’t generally receive any therapeutic effects.

The "Clinical" aromatherapy is a healing process. It is how we use the "Aroma"–the chemical ingredients present in the essential oils–to improve the health and well-being of the person that receives the "Therapy." "Aromatherapy should not be treated as equivalent to beauty therapy. Essential oils should be regarded with the same seriousness and respect as conventional medicine; natural plant extracts are drugs and should be recognized as such." (Hasnain Walji, Ph. D.)

In order to be effective and to ensure that the oils get into our blood stream we need to use therapeutic grade essential oils. The quality of essential oils was addressed in France by the Scientific Institute of Aromathology. The doctors, biologists, agronomists and pharmacists (all researchers) belonging to this organization believe that is vital to know the exact botanical name in latin and the producing organ of the plant used to produce the essential oil. It is also very important to know about climate, soil conditions, altitude and latitude. The researchers describe these influences as the "biochemical specificity" that affects the genetic make up of the plant and will affect its chemical composition and thus its therapeutic action. They introduced the standard quality for essential oils known as, Essential Oils Botanically and Biochemically Defined (EOBBD).

The presence of EOBBD certification on a bottle of essential oil is a guarantee of quality. These oils are tested by pharmacists using gas chromatography and are certified to be used in the medical field.

A good example to help understand the EOBBD quality standard is the rosemary essential oil. This plant produces three essential oils with very different properties depending where it is harvested. In France the main ingredient of this essential oil is camphor, in Corsica there are two ingredients–verbenone and bornyle acetate and in Morroco it is 1.8 cineole. The French essential oil is tonic for the heart and is hepato-toxic due to the high camphor content. On the other hand, the rosemary essential oil from Corsica detoxifies the liver and the blood. The main action of the essential oil from Morroco is at the broncho-pulmonary level due to the higher content in oxides (1.8 cineole). According to EOBBD quality criteria the labels for the above essential oils must therefore mention: Rosmarinus officinalis b.s. camphor, Rosmarinus officinalis b.s. bornyle acetate, verbenone, and Rosmarinus officinalis b.s. 1.8 cineole. This specification is vital because each rosemary essential oil has specific properties which will help different health conditions. If we simply use rosemary essential oil without knowing the exact properties we will not achieve the desired results and conclude that aromatherapy doesn’t work.

When using essential oils it is recommended you use the best quality available: look for EOBBD on the label. It is recognized today that people want to take responsibility for their own health, seeking preventative, complementary therapies in order to maintain good health. Aromatherapy can undoubtedly help you achieve that state of well-being. To locate a qualified aromatherapist in your area contact the Saskatchewan Association of Professional Aromatherapists (see their ad in the Classifieds under "Aromatherapy").