Scent. There are few sensual experiences that go so directly to the core of us. The reasons for this are rooted in science. We have tiny bundles of nerves on each side of our nasal cavity, called olfactory nerves. These nerves are exquisitely sensitive, and their direct connection to the brain makes smell a primal and intense experience for us: a means by which we’ve navigated the world since the earliest days of our evolution on Earth.
This main line to the brain also makes smell a fascinating corollary to memory for human beings. Many people have noticed that a certain smell can vividly evoke a memory from grade school, or of a beloved family member they haven’t seen since early childhood. Scent can stimulate all of this.
The earliest references we find to aromatherapy are from 3500 years ago, when the wondrous plants we still use today were used for various religious and ceremonial purposes. There can be little doubt however, that the practice dates back as far as we do. Someone had to coin the phrase, and make this intuitive human practice into a form of therapy, and in this case it was a French man from the early 1900s. From an article at puressential.com:
Then, in 1910, René-Maurice Gattefossé, a chemical engineer from Lyon, discovered the therapeutic properties of pure lavender after an explosion in his laboratory, which left him with major burns. He treated them using lavender essential oil. Won over by that “miracle”, he founded the French Society of Aromatic Products and published around twenty works that are still considered references today. These works would give aromatherapy its reputation and its very name, as it was Gattefossé who coined the term “aromatherapy”, in 1935.
Aromatherapy is used to calm, to lift the spirits, to inspire, delight and intrigue the senses and create a pleasant atmosphere. This alone has untold benefits that stretch into every aspect of our lives. Aromatherapy is also used to improve quality of sleep, to lessen pain, ease nausea, to reduce anxiety, and ease the stress of childbirth. These delicious fragrances work subtly to confer further benefit when we use them as an adjunct to therapeutic massage.
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