The History of Essential Oils

Aromatic plants and oils have been used for thousands of years, as incense, perfumes and cosmetics and for their medical and culinary applications. Their ritual use constituted an integral part of the tradition in most early cultures, where their religious and therapeutic roles became inextricably intertwined. This type of practice is still in evidence: for example, in the East, sprigs of juniper are burnt in Tibetan temples as a form of purification; and in the East and West, frankincense is used during the Orthodox and Catholic Church mass.

 

The Vedic literature of India dating from around 2000 BC, lists over 700 substances including cinnamon, spikenard, ginger, myrrh, coriander and sandalwood. Their understanding of plant lore developed into the traditional Indian or Ayurvedic system of medicine, which has enjoyed an unbroken transmission up to the present day.

 

The Chinese also have an ancient herbal tradition which accompanies the practice of acupuncture, the earliest record being in the Yellow Emperor’s Book of Internal Medicine dating from more than 2000 years BC.

 

But perhaps the most famous and richest associations concerning the first aromatic materials are those surrounding the ancient Egyptian civilisation. Papyrus manuscripts dating back to the reign of Khufu, around 2800 BC, record the use of many medicinal herbs, while another papyrus written about 2000 BC speaks of “fine oils” and choice perfumes, and the incense of temples, whereby every god is gladdened.

Aromatic gums and oils such as cedar and myrrh were employed in the embalming process, the remains of which are still detectable thousands of years later, along with traces of scented unguents and oils such as styrax and frankincense contained in a number or ornate jars and cosmetic pots found in the tombs.

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Exotic oils from the East

Natural aromatics and perfume materials constituted on of the earliest trade items of the ancient world, being rare and highly prized. When Jewish people began their exodus from Egypt to Israel around 1240 BC, they took with them many precious gums and oils together with knowledge of their use. On their journey, according to the Book of Exodus, the Lord gave Moses the formula for a special anointing oil, which included myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia and olive oil among its ingredients. This holy oil was used to consecrate Aaron and his sons into priesthood, which continued from generation to generation. Frankincense and myrrh, as treasures from the East, were offered to Jesus at his birth.

 

The Phoenician merchants also exported their scented oils and gums to the Arabian Peninsula and gradually through the Mediterranean region, particularly Greece and Rome. They introduced the West to the riches of the Orient; they brought camphor from China, cinnamon from India, gums from Arabia and rose from Syria, always ensuring that they kept their trading routes a closely guarded secret.

 

Hippocrates the “father of medicine”, also prescribed perfumed fumigations and fomentations; indeed ‘from Greek medical practice there is derived the term ‘iatralypte’, from the physician who cured by the use of aromatic unction’s. One of the most famous of the Greek preparations, made from myrrh, cinnamon and cassia, was called ‘megaleion’ after its creator Megallus. It could be used both as a perfume and as a remedy for skin inflammation and battle wounds.

 

The Romans were even more lavish in their use of perfumes and aromatic oils than the Greeks. They were used to fragrance their hair, their bodies, their clothes and beds; large amounts of scented oil were used for massage after bathing. With the fall of the Roman Empire and the advent of Christianity, many of the Roman physicians fled to Constantinople taking the books of Galen, Hippocrates and Dioscorides with them, these great Greco-Roman works were translated into Persian, Arabic and other languages, and at the end of the Byzantine Empire, their knowledge passed on to the Arab world.

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Aromatherapy

The term ‘aromatherapy’ was first coined in 1928 by Gattefosse’, a French chemist working in his family’s parfumier business. He became fascinated with the therapeutic possibilities of the oils after discovering by accident that lavender was able to rapidly heal a severe burn on his hand and help prevent scarring. He also found that many of the essential oils were more effective in their totality than their synthetic substitutes or their isolated active ingredients.  As early as 1904 Cuthbert Hall had shown that the antiseptic power of eucalyptus oil in its natural form was stronger than its isolated main active constituent, ‘eucalyptol’ or ‘cineol’.

Another French doctor and scientist, Dr Jean Valnet, used essential oils as part of his programme by which he was able to successfully treat specific medical and psychiatric disorders, the results of which were published in 1964 as Aromatherapie.

 

In some respects, the word ‘aromatherapy’ can be misleading because it suggests that it is a form of healing which works exclusively through our sense of smell, and on the emotions. This is not the case for, apart from its scent, each essential oil has an individual combination of constituents which interacts with the body’s chemistry in a direct manner which then in turn affects certain organs or systems as a whole.

 

Topically, when the oils are used externally in the form of a massage treatment, they are easily absorbed via the skin and transported throughout the body. This can be demonstrated by rubbing a clove of garlic on the soles of the feet; the volatile oil content will be taken into the blood and the odour will appear on the breath a little while later.

 

It is interesting to note that different essential oils are absorbed through the skin at varying rates, for example:

 

Turpentine: 20 mins

Eucalyptus and Thyme: 20-40 mins

Anise, bergamot and lemon: 40-60 mins

Citronella, pine, lavender and geranium: 60-80 mins

Coriander, rue and peppermint: 100-120 mins

 

It is therefore important to recognise that essential oils have three distinct modes of action with regard to how they inter-relate with the human body;

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1. Pharmacological: where the chemical changes which take place when an essential oil enters the bloodstream and reacts with the hormones and enzymes etc

2. Physiological: is concerned with the way in which an essential oil affects the systems of the body, whether they are sedated or stimulated etc; 

3. Psychological: can take place when an essence is inhaled, and individual responds to its odour.

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Which relation to the first two points, aromatherapy has a great deal in common with the tradition of medical herbalism or phytotherapy – in other words, it is not simply the aroma which is important but also the chemical interaction between the oils and the body, and the physical changes which are brought about. And thus, aromatherapy can be embodied as yet another element in the practice of Holistic Medicine.

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What is an Essential Oil?

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