Scientific medical aromatherapy involves the use of chemotyped essential oils to complement the treatment of a wide range of healthcare concerns. Among other things, it can be used to defend against pathogens or manage the symptoms of certain diseases. During scientific medical aromatherapy, essential oils are applied to the skin or via the mouth, eyes, ears, nose, vagina, or rectum.
Unlike drugs obtained by chemical synthesis or the extraction of active ingredients, phyto-aromatherapy involves complex aromatic molecules that exert influence on the body in many ways. The structure of an essential oil is so complex that it always contains multiple therapeutic properties. As a result, essential oils can be blended into synergies to optimize and customize treatments.
Many high-profile scientific studies have focused on traditional medicine and the use of plants in empirical therapy. Most of the time, these studies lead to the discovery of original substances with outstanding therapeutic properties. The pharmaceutical industry benefits greatly by using these isolated and purified molecules in conventional medicine. But plants – the source of these molecules – have already been (and continue to be) used with success in various forms of aromatherapy. Aromatic plants can be effective at treating symptoms associated with fatigue, insomnia, headaches, coughs, rheumatism, colds, the flu, and many other illnesses, with results that are sometimes felt immediately.
History of aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the oldest therapy in the world.
In fact, knowledge of aromatic essences is as old as time itself. 40,000 years before Christ, Australian aborigines were already using aromatic plants by rudimentary means, including fumigation (inhaling smoke from burning aromatic plants) and poultices (clay pastes mixed with aromatic plants and applied to the skin).
Traditional medicine based on natural substances has proven effective throughout history. Up until the 18th century, human beings insisted on using phytotherapy to treat themselves and their animals. In the 19th century, plant-based pharmaceuticals and single and bi-molecular drugs stormed onto the scene, but the end of the 20th century was marked by a return to alternative medicine, in particular aromatherapy.
The term "aromatherapy" was first used in 1928 by a French biochemist by the name of René-Maurice Gattefossé. He defined aromatherapy as the use of essential oils from aromatic plants to treat illnesses and improve health and wellbeing. Aromatherapy is a practical medicine aimed at restoring the overall balance of an organism. Thanks to its scientifically-validated preventive and curative qualities, it is the perfect complement to allopathic medicine.
Today, centuries-old aromatherapy is gaining ground in the areas of medicine, cosmetics, food processing, and veterinary medicine. Prominent scientists from all over the world are determined to legitimize this discipline by way of extensive basic and applied research.
What is scientific aromatherapy?
Scientific aromatherapy or aromatology is the study of essential oils. It is a science with rigorous testing methods based on the acquisition of solid scientific data confirmed by a laboratory.
Pharmacists and doctors interested in the therapeutic power of aromatherapy have integrated it into their consultations and prescriptions around the world.
When used properly, essential oils can work wonders - even in cases where other therapies have failed. On the other hand, the improper use of essential oils can have serious consequences.
Aromatherapy: a heritage to be preserved and protected
Phytotherapy continues to be the most widespread medical practice in the world. We have always known that certain plants have antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antimitotic, hormonal, antirheumatic, circulation-enhancing, antidiabetic, immunostimulating, hypotensive/hypertensive, invigorating, antispasmodic, stomachic, and hepatic properties. In addition to agriculture, all ancient civilizations developed herbal medicine and most of the great physicians of the past were phytotherapists.
Aromatherapy is a multidisciplinary practice
These days, no one would contest the relationship between chemistry, biochemistry, biology, medicine, pharmaceutics, and botany. Aromatherapy incorporates all these disciplines. Plants that are identified and classified by botanists have become the raw materials of choice for new drug trials.
Certified ORGANIC or not, the best essential oil is:
Chemotyped
100% natural
100% pure
100% whole
Essential oils
An essential oil is the volatile chemical extracted from aromatic plants by distillation. The essential oils used in scientific aromatherapy must meet strict quality criteria. > Learn more
Vegetable oils
Vegetable oil is the lipidic extract of an oleaginous plant, i.e. a plant whose seeds, fruit, or nuts contain lipids. > Learn more
Hydrolats
An aromatic hydrolat is the water that is left over after distillation as a by-product of the distillation process. This water is obtained entirely by steam distillation. It is formed during condensation and separated from the essential oil. > Learn more
Distillation
The majority of essential oils are obtained through steam distillation, without a chemical descaler and at low pressure.
Distillation is a delicate process requiring experience and constant supervision. > Learn more
Administration
Essential oils can be administered in many different ways, including via liquid solutions, capsules, gels, creams, lotions, and suppositories. > Learn more