Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has been used for thousands of years for healing and spiritual rituals..
Today, aromatherapy is a very active movement in Europe, especially in France where it is now a recognized
medicine reimbursed by medical insurance.

Plants from all over the world contain useful essential oils. These highly volatile oily substances to which the
plant owes its perfume and flavor, are present between the cells and act as plant hormones, regulators, and
catalysts. They may be considered as representing the vital elements or life force within the plant.

Extraction methods are of utmost importance with purity being imperative in order to obtain good therapeutic
results. Breathing in these essentials oils is what gets the required results.

Aromatherapy requires an extremely high quality of essential oils. Synthetic substances cannot replace the real
product. There are hundreds of chemical components in essential oils. Most of them are in minute quantities,
and yet it is the precise combinations and ratios of elements which render each oil powerful.

Because of that, solvents or preservatives are not used in the preparation of first-quality essential oils. A
steam-distillation method of extraction is used instead. This process consists of sending steam througout the
plants, which evaporates oils.
The steam is then condensed and the oils separate from the water. This method yields a high quality oil. The
best oils come from wild organic plants.

A basic principle of Aromatherapy is to strengthen the self-healing processes by indirect stimulation of the
immune system. The depth of use of essential oils is quite wide, ranging from deep and penetrating therapeutic
uses to the extreme subtlety of a unique fragrance.

Aromatherapy is considered by some to be an ancient yet timely and modern approach to total well being that is
in tune with nature. Aromatherapists, armed with a technical understanding of an oil's constituents, artfully
blend essential oils to produce new aromas.
The results of Aromatherapy are very individual. While there is general agreement about the actions of certain
oils, Aromatherapy texts may vary in their descriptions of the properties and characteristics of an essential oil. In
addition, no two people are affected by the same essential oil in exactly the same way. Even the same person can
be affected differently by the same oil depending on surroundings, time of day or mood.