Aromatherapy or Aromachology?

Aromatherapy is an ancient art of healing using the essences of flowers, plants & trees. The Egyptians, Chinese, Eastern Indian, among many other "old world civilizations" used it. These essential oils have versitle powerful healing properties. They can heal by adding them to one's bath water, massaging them into the skin or by inhaling them. Our sense of smell is just about one of the strongest senses we have. Two olfactory nerve tracts run right into the limbic system in our brains. This system is concerned with memory and motion. What all this boils down to is that scents can evoke an immediate and powerful response that defies any type of rational analysis.

Over the past few years aromatherapy has really come unto it's own and made a dramatic comeback. The more popular it becomes, the more the public gets mislead. Everywhere you see aromatherapy this & that. There are many scents on the market that toot to be aromatherapy. This is not so. While these 'fake' aromatherapy scents do particular things to our senses & minds, and smell good, the products are not made with pure essential oils and this is where the public is getting mislead. The most common of these 'fake' scents are vanilla, apple, watermelon & strawberry. These are not pure essential oils and will not have the true healing & holistic benefits that one can only get from pure essential oils. This type of 'temporary effect on behavior & psyche' is called aromachology, not aromatherapy. Most essential oils do not smell that great, face it. But with the right blending, one can create a scent that not only smells great, but also has positive effects on one's moods & outlook on life.

So remember, the next time you want a true aromatherapy product, check out the scent to see if it might be in the category of aromachology instead of aromatherapy.

Article © 2004 Becky McBroom, Certified Aromatherapist. All Rights Reserved.