Aromatherapy through the Ages

The term aromatherapy was coined in the 1920s by French chemist and perfumer René-Maurice Gattefossé after a laboratory explosion in his family’s perfumery business severely burned his hand.  After plunging his hand into a container of lavender oil he was amazed how quickly it healed.  By the 1960s, Gattefossé’s work lived on to inspire prominent doctors and biochemists such as French doctor Jean Valnet MD, who as an army surgeon in World War II began using thyme, clove, lemon, and chamomile essential oils to treat burns and wounds.  Valnet later found the fragrances were also successful in treating psychiatric problems.

The Magi presented baby Jesus with the three gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and during the 18th dynasty Egypt, Queen Hatshepsut sent ships to bring thirty-one myrrh trees back to Egypt.  Ancient Egyptian priests were often perfumers and some of the first medicines were incense, often burned in temples and religious rituals to celebrate a sacred connection between matter and spirit. Perfume comes from Latin meaning per ‘through’ and fume ‘smoke.’  Over time, we see how these traditions continued to perfuse for example Ancient Greek and Roman knowledge of aromatics and botanicals as medicines to prevent illness, epidemics and plagues.

Into the Modern Era

After the middle of the nineteenth century, modern chemistry and science shifted perfume from medicine to cosmetic. In 1869, scientists created the first synthetic fragrance, coumarin. In the late nineteenth century, chemists began transforming the healing practice of perfumery into a petrochemical industry that today generates billions.  By the early twentieth century, modern perfumers were using more synthetic fragrances than essential oils in their scents.  Scientists and perfumers switched to cheaper, consistent and readily available man-made chemicals.

Renewed Discovery

We see how aromatherapy has made a holistic comeback as more people begin implementing ancestral methods in redefined ways.  Whether or not the Egyptians or Native American Tribes termed the ‘Olfactory or Limbic Systems’ to describe how odor transmission affects neurons in the brain and the pituitary gland, it does seem to have literally and intuitively been useful even back then.  The somatic communication that happens within the human ecosystem illustrates how on cellular levels when potent aromatics and botanicals are introduced they cannot only be healing, but a fun exploration into a brand new discovery of what works.

After all, the word ‘Kiss’ means to smell and in many languages was used as an expression of a desire to linger where the beloved’s scent glows. Hormonal changes, diet, over exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals, aging, medications, synthetic perfumes, deodorants and head injuries are a few triggers of anosmia, or the inability to smell or taste.  Aromatherapy invites us into a world of renewed sense perception our ancestors knew well.