Today: Rediscovering Aromatherapy
Although it has been practiced for thousands of years, aromatherapy received a wider acceptance in the early twentieth century. This is a result of a return to a holistic lifestyle, recognizing the importance of combining the mind, body and spirit to achieve optimum health and wellness.
One of the few places where the tradition of Aromatherapy continued was in monasteries, where monks used plants from herbal gardens to produce infused oils, herbal teas and medicines.
Today, research has proved the multiple usage of aromatic oils. Modern day scientific research has been, and continues to be performed which proves not only the emotional but the physical benefits that aromatherapy provides. According to these researches, smells acts directly on the brain like a drug. For example, by smelling lavender the alpha wave frequency in the back of the head increases and this is a state which is associated with relaxation.
Essential oils, like spiritual healing such as reiki, pranic, homeopathic, herbal and flower remedies, have a force that vibrates within the body and the benefits we get are too subtle to calculate.
Therapies and medicines that were once considered as alternative, have risen from the shadows of darkness, providing a complement to conventional medicine. Aromatherapy is a strong example of a complementary therapy which is widely practiced today.
Through research and awareness, we understand and appreciate what nature offer us. With growing health care costs and the sometimes impersonal quality of conventional medicine, we have turned to nature to find the answers to our questions. Today everybody have realized that we must take of our health personally and strive harder to educate ourselves on living more balanced lives.
Some of us don't even know that we are doing aromatherapy. When you burn a scented candle, you are practicing Aromatherapy. When you walk through a odorous garden, you are doing it again. In fact, there is some form of essential oils in the bath and body care products which we use in our day to day life which again is a form of aromatherapy.
This is one of the reasons Aromatherapy is so popular today. It is easy to practice, readily available, and very effective.