What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils, from flowers, trees and shrubs and their fruits, blooms, leaves, stems and roots. The oils are obtained by steam distillation, expression (squeezing the oil from peel), maceration (immersing the plant in hot oil to release the essence) or enfleurage (pressing flowers between oiled glass plates).
What does it involve? Essential oils are usually either massaged into the body, to be absorbed through the skin, or inhaled by means of vaporisers. They may also be added to steam inhalations or baths, added to compresses or spread throughout a room with diffusers.
What's it used for? It's often used to relieve stress, headaches, insomnia, tension and pain, and to aid relaxation and general wellbeing. It's increasingly being used in cancer care and in sports therapy. Essential Oil Resource.
How popular is it? Aromatherapy is one of the most popular forms of complementary therapy and is widely used by people buying over-the-counter oils, and by health professionals in a range of settings.
How does it work? Scents from essential oils can stimulate olfactory (smell) receptors in the nose, and brain scans have shown that this can then trigger activity in certain areas of the brain linked to mood and memory. Components of essential oils may also be absorbed via the skin into the bloodstream and are then thought to influence the nervous system, mental state and emotions, and possibly even organ function, although the exact mechanism for this is still unclear.
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