Aroma Therapy

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils — one of today’s most popular natural-medicine techniques, used in candles, soaps, lotions and massage oils.

Egyptians used aromatics 5,000 years ago; Greek physicians used olive oil to absorb flower-petal odours; and Arab physicians perfected essential-oil distillation. French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse coined “aromatherapy” in 1928.

Essential oils are concentrated essences from flowers (rose), woods (sandalwood), barks (cinnamon), leaves (basil), roots (licorice) and fruits (orange). Extraction is costly — about 2,000 kg of rose petals yield just 1 kg of oil.

In Tibb-e-Unani, aromas are used to protect vital force, regulate digestion and increase disease resistance. Calming scents include vanilla, orange blossom, rose, chamomile and lavender.