If you're new to aromatherapy, you may be surprised to learn that there's more to it than lighting a scented candle for relaxation. Indeed, essential oils are used as medicine. Aside from using their scent, trained practitioners apply essential oils topically and even internally. But the German school of aromatherapy may come closest to the American understanding of what aromatherapy is all about.
Aromatherapy Defined
To understand the separate methods of aromatherapy, it's important to know the basic premise of "aromatherapy." The word describes using essential oils for healing. Essential oils are highly concentrated liquids obtained from plants, usually by steam-distilling or pressing them. Essential oils may come from seeds, bark, skins, leaves, twigs or bark of herbs, flowers, trees and other plants.
The Three Schools
The aromatherapy methods are traditionally divided into the methods favored by three influential countries, notes aromatherapy author David Stewart. German aromatherapy focuses on inhalation, while British aromatherapy uses essential oils topically, usually diluted in a carrier oil. French aromatherapists prescribe these oils as oral medications or through direct, undiluted contact on the skin.
Aims of German Aromatherapy
German aromatherapists use inhalation methods to improve moods and to treat specific medical conditions. For example, lemon and basil appear to help lift spirits and sharpen concentration, while lavender and chamomile are soothing. Eucalyptus, peppermint and tea tree oils can disinfect rooms and may help clear bronchial passages when inhaled. In some cases, oils are both mood- and health-enhancing. Lavender is both soothing and disinfecting.
Theories/Speculation
Researchers still aren't sure why inhalation therapy works, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Some attribute its effect on mood and illness to certain parts of the brain being stimulated by scent and releasing healing chemicals. Others think that the molecules of the oils enter the bloodstream directly.
American Preferences
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, American interest in aromatherapy as a healing tool began during the 1980s. In general, U.S. healers focus on either German inhalation therapy or British massage therapy. Expertise in the French method of ingesting essential oils is extremely rare and should be used with caution, warns UMMC.
Getting Started
To the budding aromatherapist or home hobbyist, the German school represents the safest entry point into aromatherapy. Even topical applications, as used in the British method, can be dangerous. Some essential oils are so potent that they may cause severe allergic reactions or burns when they come in contact with the skin. Those dangers are obviously intensified when following the French, or internal medicine, school of aromatherapy. It should be noted that even German aromatherapy has its dangers. Just as paint fumes can be dangerous to the internal organs when inhaled in unsafe conditions, some essential oils are overpowering when you use too much of them, or use them in the wrong conditions.
Tools of the Trade
Trained aromatherapists generally favor essential oils over fragrance oils. Fragrance oils, while less expensive, are synthetic and may not have the healing compounds of essential oils. Inhalation therapy can be as simple as using a candle scented with essential oils, or as sophisticated as a spa-grade diffuser.
References
- Medical News Today: What is Aromatherapy?
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Aromatherapy
- "The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple"; David Stewart; 2005
- "The Aromatherapy Book"; Jeanne Rose; 1992
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