History of Aromatherapy

Although it has been used for thousands of years, the actual term ‘aromatherapy’ did not come about until the 20th century.

It is thought that the Chinese were the first people in history to use aromatherapy for health and well being purposes. They used incense sticks and burned them to create harmony and balance of the mind. The Egyptians were the ones that invented a distillation machine which allowed them to extract cedarwood oil. In the history of aromatherapy, the countries India and Persia are also thought to have created crude distillation machines, though it isn’t really known for sure.

The Egyptians

Historically, the Egyptians tended to use the oils that they created, to embalm the dead. They mainly used cedarwood, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and myrrh oils in this process and in the 20th century when a tomb was opened, traces of herbs were found next to intact body parts, a process which became a defining mark in the history of aromatherapy. The smells of the oils was also still apparent and it is thought that although the cedarwood was created by the crude distillation method, the other oils were infused.

As well as embalming the dead, the Egyptians also used herbal preparations and oils for cosmetic purposes. They are said to have used the oils as fragrances and they also used them for medical purposes - another defining milestone in the overall history of aromatherapy.

The Greeks

As well as the Egyptians, the Greeks also used the oils as perfume though they gave the credit to the Gods. They believed that God created the oil that they used as a fragrance, though the Egyptians believed they created the oils. As well as recognizing the oils cosmetic advantages, the Greeks also found that they did a good job medically. A Greek named Megallus created a perfume which he called megaleion. The perfume included myrrh and it was used for its aroma and its anti-inflammatory properties which helped it to heal wounds.

The Romans

Next it was time for the Romans to discover and contrinbute more in the history of aromatherapy. They recorded and described the properties of around 500 different plants and they put them into a book named ‘De Materia Medica’. They also recognized that Discorides studied distillation. At this time the Romans focused on distilling aromatic floral waters.

It wasn’t until the 11th century in aromatherapy history that the distillation of essential oils changed dramatically. A Persian named Avicenna invented a coiled cooling pipe which helped the plant vapor to cool down quicker than any other distiller ever had done. This led to more focus on essential oils rather than just the aromas of the plants. In the 12th century Lavender was first used for its medicinal properties and in the 13th century, the pharmaceutical industry came about.

Late in the 15th century, more books were available on essential oils and more focus was put into using plants as a medicine. People kept building on their knowledge right through until the 20th century where the knowledge and historical use of aromatherapy was finally used to create synthetic chemicals and drugs. This helped to pave the way for ‘modern medicine’ though it weakened the use of the essential oils for aromatic and medicinal benefit.

Now, in the 21st century, aromatherapy is becoming more popular and more and more people are turning to its natural remedies to aid conditions such as stress and depression. It is now only going to continue to gain more popularity and it is becoming further widespread throughout the different countries, thanks for the contributions of people and ideas and the history of aromatherapy.