Aromatherapy For Scentual Awareness
by
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I
Nature’s Treasures
“These are medicines which come out
of the earth. Mother nature has provided us
with a complete ‘materia medica’.”
— The Family Herbal, Dr Peter Theiss
Essential oils may be used singly or in combination to bring about curative and restorative processes in the mind and body, offering a gentle alternative to drugs - many of which have horrendous side-effects.
It is important, however, to understand that the essential oils themselves DO NOT cure. The body is the hero when it comes to healing, and this is a basic principle and understanding of natural health. The essential oils simply stimulate the already active healing, calming and regenerative mechanisms within us.
Essential oils can assist in the treatment of physical, emotional and mental conditions. They can very effectively be used for skin care and in therapeutic massage. Even when used solely for sensual pleasure, they can positively enhance and enrich your daily life.
Since Time Immemorial
Some 2000 years ago, the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, recognised the value of aromatherapy when he spoke of the benefits of an aromatic bath and scented massage in restoring and maintaining physical and mental health. Even the Biblical scriptures speak of such healing power in the plant kingdom. Moses was directed to make a healing potion from “flowing myrrh, sweet cinnamon, calamus, cassia and olive oil”. Science has since established that such a potion has powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Myrrh is an effective antiseptic and its healing effects on open wounds, ulcers and the like are well known.
Throughout the ages, men and women learned in the various forms of medicine have long realised the tremendously powerful and diverse medicine cabinet that nature provides in its plant kingdom.
The essential oils which are extracted from plants all over the world and used by aromatherapists provide us with natural tools to maintain and restore our physical and mental balance.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy simply means “a therapy using aromas”. The aromas come from the plant kingdom - flowers, trees, bushes and herbs. The usual method of extraction is steam distillation, which produces a liquid with a distinctive fragrance and, in many cases, antiseptic, anti-viral and/or anti-bacterial properties according to the individual plant. The relevant part of the plant, the wood of the sandalwood tree, the petals of the rose, the leaves of rosemary bushes, berries of the juniper tree, etc, is put through this process of distillation, where the volatile, odiferous substance is captured. It is this liquid which is known as the essential oil.
Essential oils evaporate quickly and are sensitive to both heat and light. This volatility varies from one oil to another, but once bottled essential oils will last for many years, depending upon the type of oil.
It is important to acquire only the purest essential oils, oils which have not been diluted or adulterated with any other oil or substance.
Essential oils need never be tested on animals. The most common method of testing is liquid gas chromatography, a proven scientific technique which identifies the active ingredients of each extract.
Essential oils have many uses, although our sense of smell, being so closely linked to our emotions, plays the largest part in recognising the power of aromatherapy. We can soon discover which essences have the power to lift depression, or which essences have a calming influence on troubled emotions.
Every woman knows that gloomy feeling when depression hits. We recommend you study the therapeutic uses of each essential oil and apply them to your own physical and mental needs.
There are specific recipes to uplift the spirit in Chapter 12 - Stress Management and The Emotions.
True Natural Oils
Essential oils work quickly on both the body and mind. Through our sense of smell the olfactory nerves pass a message onto our brains and scientists have shown there is a physical and psychological response within four seconds. The essential ingredients of an oil are also absorbed quickly into the skin via the hair follicles, with an almost instant effect.
Quality pure essential oils can be up to 70 times more concentrated than the plant source from which they are derived. The advantage of the natural product over a chemically created substitute is that the essential oil is more complex and retains all of its special properties. Just as we know today that by tampering with the natural product we produce an inferior product, so do we when we look for cheap, artificially-produced oils or perfumes. You don’t need vast experience as an aromatherapist to know a true essential oil when you come across it. The true natural oil stands out like the very nose on your face which is inhaling in the wonderful aroma. Synthetically-composed oils and perfumes made in a laboratory can never duplicate the transformation and life processes of nature.
There are many philosophers who believe the aromatic flowering of plants is an offering to the Gods from the plant kingdom. It is a beautiful offering when the plant is in its full manifestation or full bloom. Interestingly, the aromatic flowering is the last metabolic process the plant goes through before it goes into its decaying process.
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About the Book
Like the citizens of every recorded society, we have turned to incense, potpourri and pomanders to add to the quality of space we inhabit. Even today, people travel many kilometres just to sit and walk in a beautiful garden - just as they did in the days of the Gardens of Babylon. And why? Because it is instinct that the very essence of nature is a healer to our spirit and to our soul. Of course our bodies respond to aromas! We don’t need science to tell us that. Go sit in a beautiful garden and breathe in the brilliant blend of aromas, and you will notice an uplifting of your mood and spirit.
It is true, however, that some people respond more acutely and readily to aromas than others. This is not really unusual when you consider how magnificently developed the sense of smell becomes in a blind person. As the Royal Blind Society will tell you, you can develop your senses far and beyond the average person when you have to, or when you just simply want to.
When a woman or a man arrives at that stage of their life when they become more aware of their senses, of nature and the world around them, we believe it marks a very important point in their development.
Scentual Awareness is the term we use to describe this growing appreciation of aromas and fragrances, and the sense of smell - hence the title of this book. We believe our book can open the way to a whole new world for you. It will give you insight into a new approach to nature through one of its most powerful tools - those fragrant essential oils drawn from flowers and grasses, trees and roots, leaves and fruit. These remain the great untapped resources of our planet.
Our book, Aromatherapy for Scentual Awareness shows how each essential oil can offer many diverse benefits. One of the most holistic of all systems of medicine, you will see for yourself how the oils can alleviate symptoms, prevent many illnesses and disorders, influence our moods or create special environments in our homes, offices or wherever we may spend our days - all without the chemical pollution of our bodies or our environment.
In writing this book, we have drawn largely on our own experiences in day-to-day life, in the visible improvements to our appearance and the general state of our health and wellbeing. We have also drawn on feedback from friends and relatives, but most importantly from the thousands of people we have come in contact with through our work as aromatherapists, including many who have come to our workshops and demonstrations. They have all had stories to tell.
About the Author
Judith White and Karen Day are experienced aromatherapists, and health and lifestyle educators. Karen developed her skills in aromatherapy after a career in beauty therapy, while Judith has her background in bodywork and tactile therapy.
They both have studied wholistic aromatherapy in Europe, the recognised centre of knowledge in this field. As well as having established busy aromatherapy practices in both Melbourne and Sydney, they have facilitated international distribution of the purest essential oils available in the world today under the name “In Essence.”
Acknowledged as leaders in their field, Judith and Karen lecture and teach aromatherapy throughout the world, sharing their own personal experiences and knowledge with tens of thousands of people, providing these people with tools to transform their lives.
Their workshops are fun, practical and inspiring, giving participants many new perceptions and skills for well-being.
Judith and Karen live and breathe the aromatic lifestyles.
Their message is simple: “You are your own creator and master of health and vitality. Magnify your power, health and beauty through aromatherapy!”