Aromatherapy has been around for 5000 years or more. The Greeks, Romans, and ancient Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils. The Egyptian physicans Imhotep recommended fragent oils for bathing, massage, and for embalming their dead nearly 6000 years ago. Imhotep is the Egyptian God of medicine and healing.
The Greeks acquired much of their knowledge from the Egyptians. They had discovered that the odors of certain flowers were either relaxing or stimulating. Greek soldiers, when going into battle, would take with them an ointment containing Myrrh for the treatment of wounds. Hippocrates was a Greek Physician who was regarded as ' the father of medicine'.
An Arab physician called Avicenna wrote many books on the subject of plants and their effects on the body. He is also thought to have invented the first distillation method for extracting aromatic oils from plants.
The modern era of aromatherapy is dawned in 1930 when the French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy for the therapeutic use of essential oils. His first book, written in 1928, was called Aromatherapie- the first time this term had been used. He was fascinated by the benefits of lavender oil in healing his burned hand without leaving any scars. He started investigating the effects of other essential oils for healing and for their psychotherapeutic benefits.
During World War 2, the French army surgeon Dr. Jean Valnet used essential oils as antiseptics. Later, Madame Marguerite Maury elevated aromatherapy as a holistic therapy. She started prescribing essential oils as remedy for her patients. She is also credited with the modern use of essential oils in massge.
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