The Power of Essential Oils

One of the pioneers of modern aromatherapy was Dr. Edward Bach around the turn of the 20th century. He was a physician and pathologist with a background in bacteriology as well. Over the years, he learned that orthodox medicine did not always seem to work and he got tired of patients undergoing treatments to no avail.

So, he started seeking other types of treatments that focused on helping a patient treat their personality instead of the condition itself. This included something he referred to as flower therapy. He used various derivatives of flowers and plants to help effect a personality for the better.

While the work that Bach did was not accepted at the time and other doctors indicated it showed no logic, he did manage to have extremely good results with his therapies.

Rene Maurice Gattefosse

Around 1937, Rene Maurice Gattefosse actually coined the modern term we use, aromatherapy. He didn’t exactly believe in natural and alternative medicines, but he found that there was something to essential oils that traditional medicine could not explain. It all began in 1910, when he burned his own hand. Because the burn was very painful, he grabbed for the first thing available, which happened to be undiluted essential oil of lavender. Gattefosse noticed immediately that the lavender soothed the pain from the burn. Then, as the hand began to heal, he even noticed that it healed more quickly and he wasn’t even left with a scar. Fascinated, he began experimenting, and he found:

– Very small amounts could interact with the chemistry of the body and could even be absorbed through the skin.

– Essential oils could help injuries heal. In fact, with Gattefosse’s experiments, a doctor named Jean Valet found that he could use different essential oils to treat wounds of soldiers during World War II. Because of his discoveries, essential oils were carried on into the modern day.

Marguerite Maury

Maury lived during the 1950s, and she combined information that Gattefosse found along with Tibetan methods of using essential oils. As a result, she created a technique of combining essential oils with vegetable oils as a carrier and then massaging them into the skin along the spine of the back so that the oils soaked into the nerves.

Marguerite Maury didn’t stop there either. She began prescribing essential oils on an individual basis determined by each patient’s needs. She would offer various combinations to each patient so that the person could be properly massaged to treat their own conditions.

Because so many people were finding essential oils so helpful, the techniques began to take on speed. Soon, aromatherapy became a staple in holistic health methods. The true modern movement began in the late 1970s and has not slowed down since then. In the 21st century, these oils are not just used by those who subscribe to holistic medicines either. In fact, the uses and treatments in medications and other therapies are preferred by people of all types.

You may just be surprised at the many different modern uses. Different mixes and combinations can be used for:

– Bathing and Relaxation

– Compresses for Pain Relief

– Foot and Hand Care

– Hair Care

– Massages

– Sitz Bath Treatments

– Inhalers and Vaporizers

– Skin Care

– Saunas and Jacuzzis

– And More

To Your Health and Prosperity