Aromatherapy and Essential OilsEssential oils (EO's) are commonly used in cosmetics, candles, potpourri, air fresheners, soaps, body washes, lotions, detergents, and numerous other fragrant products. Many products are created for "aromatherapy," a term coined by French scientist, Rene Maurice Gattefossé in 1928. The word implies therapeutic use of aromatic substances or essential oils. More recently, however, many people are turning to therapeutic-grade oils for an increase in their health and wellbeing. This alternative health practice is based on ancient records of powerful herbs and oils to heal disease and combat symptoms of illness. According to the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy can be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit. It is an art and science which seeks to explore the physiological, psychological and spiritual realm of the individual's response to aromatic extracts as well as to observe and enhance the individual's innate healing process. As a holistic medicine, Aromatherapy is both a preventative approach as well as an active treatment during acute and chronic stages of illness or 'dis'-ease.
Therapeutic-grade essential oils What is an Essential Oil?Essential oils have been poetically named, the "life force" of a plant. Found in the stems, leaves, flowers, roots, or bark, they protect the plant from damaging wounds, microorganisms, and insects too. In the same way that EO's protect their plants, history has taught us that they can also protect human beings. A single oil may contain hundreds of constituents that are molecularly aligned in exactly the right manner to trigger a number of responses in the human body.
Records dating back to 4500 BC show the use of balsamic substances with aromatic properties for religious ritual and medical applications. The Egyptians became masters at using EO's in their everyday lives and especially in their embalming and burial practices. In 1922 when King Tut's tomb was opened, some 50 alabaster jars were found, emptied of their precious contents, oils. The robbers had stepped over the glittering gold in the tomb to take only the priceless oils! Essential oils were reintroduced into modern medicine during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. René-Maurice Gattefossé, Ph.D., a French cosmetic chemist, is widely regarded as the father of aromatherapy. He and a group of scientists began studying essential oils in 1907. In his 1937 book, Aromathérapie, Gattefossé described his own healing with lavender oil after being burned in a lab explosion. Dr. Gattefossé was literally aflame — covered in burning substances — following a laboratory explosion in July, 1910. After rolling on a grassy lawn to extinguish the flames, he wrote that "both my hands were covered with rapidly developing gas gangrene." Dr. Gattefossé said that, "just one rinse with lavender essence stopped the gasification of the tissue. This treatment was followed by profuse sweating, and healing which began the next day." 
Dr. Gattefossé shared his studies with his colleague and friend, Jean Valnet, a medical doctor practicing in Paris. Exhausting his supply of antibiotics as a physician in Tonkin, China, during World War II, Dr. Valnet began using therapeutic-grade EO's on patients suffering battlefield injuries. To his surprise, they exerted a powerful effect in combating and counteracting infection. He was able to save the lives of many soldiers who might otherwise have died.
Two of Dr. Valnet's students, Dr. Paul Belaiche and Dr. Jean Claude Lapraz, expanded on his work. They clinically investigated the antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties in EO's. Because of the work of these doctors and scientists, the healing power of essential oils is again gaining prominence. Currently, EO's are used by chiropractors, aromatherapists, reflexologists, massage therapists and others interested in alternatives to prescription drugs and increasing their health. Why Choose Therapeutic-Grade EO's?
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