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Aromatherapy is a form of herbal medicine. It uses the scents in essential oils distilled from herbs, flowers and trees to improve health and vitality. Used properly, it can re-energize and rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Aromatherapy comes in many forms. It can be used as oils, candles, lotions and soaps.

How Is The Scented Oil Extracted From The Plants?

Many herbs are used in the production of essential oils and waters for aromatherapy. Essential oils are the aromatic compounds found in the herb. They are extracted by distillation. There are different methods of this but they are all basically the same.

The herbs are put into water which is heated until it produces steam. This releases and then carries chemicals, including the aromatic compounds. The steam is then chilled in a condenser and the material left behind is collected. Oils (which will become the Essential Oil) floats to the top of the distilled water and may be scooped off.

The distilled water part is called hydrosol. If you want to buy a herb or flower 'water' the best kind is a hydrosol as this is the by-product of aromatic distillation. Many 'waters' are essential oils added to water or alcohol and are not as good as true hydrosols.

Treat Aromatherapy With Respect!

Many people think that because the scented oils have 'only come from plants' that they can use as much as they like. Essential oils are very concentrated and are usually measured in drops. Strength wise - one drop would equal the volume amount of two cups. Ingesting one ounce of essential oil could prove fatal.

Unless you are a skilled aromatherapist, it's best to use essential oils only on the skin. Always mix the drops of oil with a 'carrier' like sweet almond oil. Undiluted essential oil can burn the skin.

How Can Anything From Plants Be So Powerful?

Our pharmacology has developed from herbal medicine. Many medications in use today are still derived from plants.

There are more than 250,000 known plant species and yet less than 1% of them have been thoroughly tested for use in medicine. A quarter of our prescription medications are derived from this tiny 1%. The list includes morphine, atropine, ephedrine, warfarin, aspirin, digoxin, taxol, hyoscine - so plants are pretty powerful and care should be taken. Isn't it amazing to think what other helpful medications are out there and as yet undiscovered!

Growing Herbs For Aromatherapy

A large area of crops is needed to grow herbs for aromatherapy purposes. This is because when calculated on the weight of fresh herbs distilled, plants only yield between 0.01% and 2% of essential oil. So a lot needs to be grown and distilled to produce reasonable amounts of oil.

To produce essential oils, the requirements are the plants, good soil (often organic), irrigation, reasonable shelter from harsh weather, harvesting and distillation equipment.

Hints And Tips On Essential Oils

1. Always read and heed advice on the labels on essential oils.

2. Keep them out of the sight and reach of children.

3. Never put essential oils near the eyes.

4. Always dilute with carrier oil before putting on the skin - or it will burn!

5. Essential oils are for external application only. Don't ever ingest them.

6. As with any new skin preparation, test the oil first. Dilute a drop of essential oil with carrier oil and apply to the skin on your inner arm. If there is any irritation, discontinue its use.

7. Many herbs should be avoided by pregnant women and by people suffering some health conditions. Always check before use.

Rebecca Prescott

The earliest written evidence recorded a recipe for a body deodorant in the Papyrus Ebers of 1500 BC. The Egyptians used aromatic substances for embalming and to treat manias, stress, and depression. Many of the oils used by the Eqyptians came from China and India. There is evidence to suggest that they had been in use there for more than a thousand years. Roman and Greek baths used essential oils, as prescribed by Hippocrates. In the 10th century the Arabian Avicenna wrote more that 100 books about the beneficial effects of Rose. Rosewater was one of the perfumes and essences brought back from the east by the Crusaders. The scientific study of the therapeutic properties of essential oils was started by the French cosmetic chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse. After suffering an accident, which resulted in the burning of his arms, he quickly thrust them into the nearest cool liquid. This just so happened to be a tub full of lavender oil. Upon realising that not only was there an instant soothing of the pain but he also did not scar as a result of the burns, he dedicated his life to the study of essential oils and coined the term 'Aromatherapy'. For more information visit www.spanglefish.com/psychehealing

Aromatherapy has become very popular over the past few years, serving as a means of relaxation and relief. Comprised of a blend of a variety of essential oils and massage oils, it is widely used throughout the world to help calm and rejuvenate the entire body. That is why it is also known as health for the body, mind, and spirit.

The term Aromatherapy comes from two words: 'aroma', meaning fragrance, and 'therapy', meaning treatment. It is a healing art based on nature and is said to be very successful in effecting the body, mind, and spirit. Increasingly used in society today, Aromatherapy is a fast growing therapy in holistic medicine. Even as far back as 18,000 b.c., flowers and plants were used for healing, relaxing, and energizing the body. Aromatherapy was used by three of the most ancient civilizations: Egypt, China, and India, and is reputed to be at least 6,000 years old.

Aromatherapy, as we know it today, began with the Egyptians who used the method of infusion to extract the oils from aromatic plants to be used for healing purposes. In additional to medicinal uses, Aromatherapy was also used for both cosmetic reasons and for embalming. During this time, certain plants were used for specific conditions, whereas others were used for religious purposes. Some were even believed to have the power to raise the level of consciousness or promote a state of tranquility.

The Egyptians understood the uses and benefits of Aromatherapy and incorporated it into their cooking as well. Here, specific herbs were used to help the digestive process while others protected against infection and helped build the immune system. After bathing, the Egyptians believed in being massaged with fragrant oils.

It is also believed that there is a strong possibility that the Chinese were using some form of aromatics at the same time as the Egyptians. The Shen Nung's Herbal book is the oldest surviving medical book in China and is dated about 2700 B.C. and contains information on over 300 different plants and herbs. The Chinese used aromatic herbs and burned aromatic woods and incense as a way of showing respect to God.

Traditional Indian medicine known as ayurveda has been practiced for over 3,000 years. The Greeks also continue to use Aromatic oils, along with many other countries and cultures. Pretty soon the use of Aromatherapy spread, and it is now one of the most widely practiced natural forms of healing all over the world. Drawing from what was used in ancient times, the Aromatherapy of today is a blend of the different cultures and is enjoyed by many people on a regular basis.

Amy Nutt

FM and David Choi give you their Back to school tips. Use tips with caution. CONTEST IS OVER! For more information about the upcoming ISA concerts visit internationalsecretagents.com Written by Wong Fu Productions twitter.com facebook.com All music by FarEast Movement from their latest album ANIMAL twitter.com FEATURING David Choi twitter.com davidchoimusic.com

Aromatherapy massage is a holistic and natural for of massage, which treats the whole person not just one aspect. Aromatherapy actually treats and helps to balance the mind, body and spirit of a person, and also looks after their overall health. The various areas that are looked at and check out are, what type of diet do they have, do they use any relation techniques to help deal with every day stresses, are they worried about financial issues, whether they have just had a bereavement or maybe the birth of a child, do they have a disability, suffering from a disease or just worn out and run down, all these and more are checked out before a treatment is given.

Aromatherapy massage is a mixture of using massaging techniques, along side the procedure of selecting a composition of essential oils, which have been specifically picked for the person being treated. Aromatherapy is a unique treatment procedure, because of this unique fact, the combination of the selected oils that have been chosen, will never follow a ridged pattern. The essence of Aromatherapy is, that it is tailored to suit any person seeking help - it is not a production line, every single one of the people treated remain an individual, with personal needs.

Aromatherapy will try to get to the root of the problem, and in this day and age, with the wide ranging selection of oils to choose from, there is an inexhaustible supply in which to use to treat a certain condition or ailment.

Aromatherapy essential oils are created by using the many different parts of a plant, flower, tree or even fruit, by extracting their natural aroma and using the oil extracted for a particular illness, whether it is physical or emotional, or mental, the oil is used to rebalance the client. Oftentimes one particular plant will have different parts used, for different ailments. Take for example, Lavender essential oil is considered one of the safest essential oils to use, and some say it can be used neat on burns; it is classed as non-toxic, non-irritant, and non-sensitising.

The use of aromatherapy incorporated within life, has been around for a very long time in fact its been around for many hundreds of years, but it is virtually new to the modern world, as it is still occasionally regarded with mistrust and scepticism, it is only in recent years with the help of training facilities, and the fact conventional medicine is starting to come around to the idea that the use of essential oils are occasionally of more benefit to a individual, than the use of proscription medicinal aids, that aromatherapy is becoming more mainstream. aromatherapy essential oils do not have to be used incorporated within a massage, they can also be used at home, in a hot bath, or a oil burner, used as an air freshener, or mixed with a carrier oil, such as almond, to rub on the body and because of these uses, aromatherapy is becoming more widespread, and is continuing to advance as a fundamentally accepted part of society and the way in which individuals live on a day to day basis. People no longer think twice about going and getting a stress relieving aromatherapy massage, in there lunch break, in fact, many companies are encouraging them to do just that!

So to conclude, aromatherapy definitely has a great deal to offer all of us in our day to day lives. It can and does help with issues that include, stress at work and home. Essential oils can also be used for bathing and help to make the home smell fantastic. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so why not check it out.

MalcyM