Aromatherapy

By: Jude Brown

Aromatherapy is a phrase used to describe a treatment using plant derived Essential Oils, which aids the healing process of an adverse condition so restoring equilibrium to the body.

The primary recipient of an aromatherapy treatment is the olfactory system which is directly connected to the nervous system and the brain.

These essential oils being primarily airborne molecules, reach a point of contact via the nasal cavities, where a few of these millions of cells which make up the olfactory system have extended receptors (dendrites).

These receptors trigger a series of chemical and electrical events which send an impulse to the brain. Hence, the chemical constituent of Lavender is such that the body reacts to the signal of the odour by registering an impulse, which in words can be described as 'relaxing' or 'sedating'

The secondary recipient of an aromatherapy treatment is the skin, whereby essential oils can be topically applied after being diluted with a base oil, that is a cold pressed oil. Essential oils are not to be applied directly to the skin, as one must remember that they are extremely concentrated versions of raw materials.

Aromatherapy can be considered to be an aesthetic art and has the added advantage that while fragrant essences have numerous therapeutic uses; they have the added bonus of not polluting the environment in any way.