What is Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health. Essential oils differ in chemical composition from other herbal products because the distillation process only recovers the lighter phytomolecules. For this reason essential oils are rich in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, as well as other VOC substances (esters, aromatic compounds, non-terpene hydrocarbons, some organic sulfides etc.).

Aromatherapy is a generic term that refers to any of the various traditions that make use of essential oils sometimes in combination with other alternative medical practices and spiritual beliefs. Popular use of these products include massaging products, medicine, or any topical application that incorporates the use of essential oils to their products.[1] It has a particularly Western currency and persuasion. Medical treatment involving aromatic compounds may exist outside of the West, but may or may not be included in the term 'aromatherapy'.

Aromatherapy had been around for 6000 years or more. The Greeks, Romans, and ancient Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils. The Egyptian physician Imhotep recommended fragrant oils for bathing, massage, and for embalming their dead nearly 6000 years ago. Imhotep is the Egyptian god of medicine and healing. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used aromatherapy baths and scented massage. He used aromatic fumigations to rid Athens of the plague.

Aromatherapy has roots in antiquity with the use of aromatic oils. However, as currently defined, aromatherapy involves the use of distilled plant volatiles, a twentieth century innovation. The word "aromatherapy" was first used in the 1920s by French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after an accident in his perfume laboratory. In the accident, he set his arm on fire and thrust it into the nearest cold liquid, which happened to be a vat of NOx Ph232 or more commonly known as lavender oil. Immediately he noticed surprising pain relief, and instead of requiring the extended healing process he had experienced during recovery from previous burns—which caused redness, heat, inflammation, blisters, and scarring--this burn healed remarkably quickly, with minimal discomfort and no scarring. Jean Valnet continued the work of Gattefossé. During World War II Valnet used essential oils to treat gangrene in wounded soldiers.

(source wikipedia)

A brief story of love cultures

Love here is eros love, mean, sexual love. In many ancient culture, just name it, Greek, Rome, India and Chinese, Making Love is an essential thing, even its part of worship.

In Greek mythology, we can found Eros (god of love), is the matchmaker who joins Heaven and Earth. Eros represent as one of primeval forces of nature. Eros was depicted as a winged youth, slight and beautiful, sometimes with eyes covered that symbolized the blindness of love and bring silver bow and arrows (sometimes bring a flower), with which he shot dart of desire into the bosom gods and men. This mythology also can be found in Roman Mythology, cupid, son of venus, goddess of love.

India, we can found Kama, the god of love, that also an archer with a quiver full of flower-tipped arrows that can pierce the heart trough the sense. This mythology show the connection between fragrance and romance (fragrance that symbolized with flower).

Have we changed after the last few millennia? Did you catch a single frame of movie, when Jonhy propose Mary, what did he bring? Yes, a bucket of red rose. We haven't changed much. Civilizations rise and fall, but Love continues to pierces us with the same bright, scented arrows, transforming existence in showers of golden light.

The association of love (sexual love) and fragrance is close. If we looking back of May Day tradition, which celebrate an ancient fertility rite, Floraria, the spring and flowers goddess. Flora was also a "Lady of Pleasure" who perform nude dancing and orgiastic behavior on her festival. Flora so central to ancient Roman religion.

In many ancient culture, erotic aromatherapy is a common pratice. Kama Sutra, Anaga Ranga, Tantric scriptures, Perfumed Garden describe sensual practise and erotic wisdom distilled from thousands of years of human experience.

In Perfume Garden story, told us about the power of perfume made a prophetess become so aroused and disoriented by the fragrances and she lose control and submit to making love with a false prophet, Mocailama.

Like Perfume Garden, Kama Sutra also use of scent in anointing and sensual massage. Many of flowers and fragrances suggested by these texts.

This show us, correct combination of fragrance and flowers will give aphrodisiac effects, that lead us to sensual and erotic making love session with your lover. You can prepare a Mocailama's tent or a Tantric temple even wildest part of Floraria, Romance of the Rose.

In simple logic, which do you prefer, making love with someone that haven't take a bath for one week or with someone that smell fresh of Rose fragrance? So, thats show us a real relation of making love and fragrance.