Aromatherapy

To get a picture of how powerful essential oils are, consider this: It requires 1,400,000 handpicked rose blossoms to produce a liter of rose essential oil. A single ounce of this oil contains the essence of 40,000 rose blossoms, and sixty-seven roses give only one drop of essential oil. While every plant yields a different amount of essential oil based on its seasonal influences and design, this helps illustrate the profound process that produces these highly concentrated botanical treasures.
Why do plants produce essential oils in the first place? There are two primary reasons:
1. Protection: Plants use essential oils for protection from pathogens such as fungus, pests, even other invasive plants or animals. They produce essential oils as part of their stress response to changes in climate or to protect themselves from harsh environmental conditions.
2. Attraction: Plants also use essential oils to lure in pollinators with their irresistible fragrances.
Like plants, there are two primary ways that humans can benefit from the regular use of essential oils:
1. Protection: Because essential oils are produced by the immune intelligence of the plants, people can use essential oils to support their wellness and healthy stress response. When we use essential oils we gain enormous benefit from the vitality and health-producing effects of the oils.
The modern world is bringing aromatherapy into building designs and medical practices for this purpose. Hospitals are now incorporating essential oils into their treatments, and businesses around the world are using aromatherapy for stress reduction in the workplace.
2. Attraction: Plants also create essential oils as a way to attract pollinators. These aromatic molecules, when used by humans, serve a similar purpose. When a man or woman is wearing a pure, botanical aromatic treasure, the power of their attraction is naturally enhanced. Night Blooming Jasmine can make a woman irresistible to her lover. A drop of rose attar placed on the center of the chest can open the channels of love and compassion. Natural fragrance offers emotion- al benefits in addition to a fragrance that is harmonious with the constitution and chemistry of the wearer.
Aromatherapy is an art and science that spans civilizations and covers the globe. The art of perfumery uses science to capture the heavenly aromas of the most intoxicating flowers so that they can be utilized for the purposes of health, attraction, and romance. Today, scientists use sophisticated equipment to study what our ancestors intuitively knew about the aromatic plants around them.
The practice of aromatherapy can be as simple as sipping a cup of tea or diffusing essential oils into the space around us. Aromatherapy can also be as elaborate as a complex healing prescription or specific ceremonial use. The effects of aromatherapy act simultaneously on the mind, body and spirit, offering a range of applications from the most basic skin care to enhancing a connection with the divine.
It is important to educate yourself on aromatherapy before you begin using essential oils. The primary reason is safety: certain oils can be very irritating to the skin or overpowering in large amounts. Another reason is economical: if you know what you are doing with essential oils, you will save money by using the right amount in various applications, recipes or blends. It is also important to understand how the essential oil and perfumery world works before you start shopping.
In the following chapters you will learn everything you need to know before you buy and use essential oils. When you are finished reading this short yet important ebook, you will have a comprehensive and sophisticated under- standing of the art of aromatic botanical medicine.