HISTORY OF AROMATHERAPY

In brief, aromatherapy is the use of volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Although the term aromatherapy was not used until the 20th Century, the use of aromatic botanicals and aromatic oils date back thousands of years. Distillation and the use of essential oils dates back nearly one thousand years

The Chinese may have been one of the first cultures to use aromatic plants for well-being. Their practices involved burning incense to help create harmony and balance.

Later, the Egyptians invented a rudimentary distillation machine that allowed for the crude extraction of cedarwood oil. It is also thought by some that Persia and India may have also invented crude distillation machines, but very little is known

[Update: Since writing the original version of this article back in the late 1990s, I've been intrigued to learn of a 2005 archaeological discovery of a clay alembic still that is approximately 4,000 years old. This still was found on Cyprus and apparently included bowls that when tested, indicated that the still was used to perform distillations of rosemary, lavender and other botanicals. [Ann Harman, Harvest to Hydrosol (Fruitland, WA: botANNicals, 2015), 7.] However, since stills of similar ages haven't been discovered elsewhere to my knowledge, it's not clear whether distillation occurred outside of this region during that time period.]

Oils of cedarwood, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and myrrh were used by the Egyptians to embalm the dead. When a tomb was opened in the early 20th century, traces of the herbs were discovered with intact portions of the body. The scent, although faint, was still apparent.

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