Ароматерапия

Aromatherapy is a type of alternative medicine.

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine, which is based on the use of essential oils and other aromatic compounds in order to change a person's mood, cognitive functions (the so-called "mental state") and health.

The work of aromatherapy is explained by two main mechanisms. One of them is the influence of aroma on the brain, especially the limbic system (the system participates in the regulation of functions of smell, internal organs, emotions, instinctive behavior, memory, sleep and wakefulness) through the olfactory system. Another mechanism is the direct pharmacological effect of essential oils.

At the same time, the mechanism of effective work of aromatherapy, namely the interaction between the body and aromatic oils, remains unproved. However, some preliminary clinical studies of aromatherapy, in combination with other methods of treatment, show a positive effect. Aromatherapy cannot cure, but it can help the body, in a natural way, increase its immunity, which, of course, can serve as an impulse for recovery.

From the history of aromatherapy

Essential oils are used for preventive and therapeutic purposes for more than six thousand years. Ancient Indians, Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians and Romans used them in perfumery and cosmetics. Aromatic oils, as well as essential oils are widely used for ritual, spiritual, healing and hygienic purposes.

Actually, the concept of aromatherapy was first discussed among a small number of European doctors and scientists, around 1907. The word "aromatherapy" first appeared in print in 1937, in the book "Aromatherapy: Essential Oils." French surgeon Jean Vallne, is considered one of the first specialists to use essential oils in medicine, as antiseptics in the treatment of wounded soldiers during the Second World War.