Alternative medicine is speedily becoming more and more popular nowadays. Being a form of alternative medicine, aromatherapy uses volatile plant materials, differently called essential oils, and similar fragrant compositions from plants to improve a person’s mood and well-being. It is a holistic healing grounded on the belief that the entire body should be treated with aromatic oils, such as rose, lemon, lavender and peppermint. Essential oils can be added to the bath or massaged into the skin, inhaled directly or dispersed around a room. Aromatherapy is used to relieve pain, to take care of skin, relieve strain and fatigue and invigorate the entire body. Essential oils can also positively impact upon the mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and contribute to relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the brain and central nervous system by stimulating the olfactory nerves. Patients who have lost the sense of smell are believed to suffer from mental disorders – such as strain and depression – more often than other people.
Essential oils are fragrant essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, grasses and seeds with distinctive curative, psychological, and physiological properties which better and preclude illness. There are approximately 150 essential oils. Most have antiseptic properties; some are anti-inflammatory, antiviral, pain-relieving, antidepressant and expectorant. Apart from the above mentioned characteristics, essential oils are also used for simulation, relaxation and digestion improvement. To derive the maximal benefit from these aromatic oils, they should be made from natural, pure raw materials. Oils made in laboratories do not work.
Aromatherapy is one of the quickest increasing alternative therapy. It is used at home, clinics and hospitals for a scope of purposes: as a pain killer for ladies in labor pain, for cancer patients after chemotherapy, and for rehabilitation of patients with coronary problems.
Aromatherapy is already slowly getting into the mainstream. In Japan, for example, engineers are installing purpose-built aroma systems into new buildings.