AROMATHERAPY

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The term ‘aromatherapy’ was coined by Gattefosse, a French Professor of Chemistry who revived the healing use of essential oils during the First World War. Madam Maury, a biochemist and keen student of Gattefosse, recognized the potential of essential oils for skin care and was interested in the possibility that the oils could delay the ageing process. It was she who developed the massage techniques and formulae now usually associated with aromatherapy. In France, where the medical potency of oils is recognized, aroma therapists must also be doctors and it is properly considered a form of healing. In other countries, however, because of the uncertain legal position of complementary medicines, aromatherapy is sometimes listed as a beauty therapy. Such is the healing power of essential oils that even those who enter the field strictly for cosmetic reasons become aware of the greater potential of these vital plant substances.