Scents have played a part in human and animal existence since the beginning of time. Smells can enchant or disgust, attract or repel. We are far more likely to feel at home in a pleasant smelling atmosphere than in a rank one. People can be identified by their own personal smell, and our noses keep a memory that causes us to connect certain objects, places, and people with certain scents.
Aromatherapy is the harnessing of plant essences for mental and physical well-being. These plant essences are called essential oils, and they are used in both their pure and diluted forms to ease pain, release tension, and give pleasure to the user. Every oil is unique, with specific properties and conditions. After researching these properties, specific oils can be mixed together to make solutions to cure each particular ill.
Humans have been using essential oils since the beginning of time. Neanderthals in what is now Shanidan, Iraq used plants for food and medicine over 60,000 years ago, and ancient civilizations made great use of essential oils to promote harmony in the body and mind. Animals also make great use of herbs. Sick sheep eat yarrow, lizards eat chamomile to soothe snakebites, and bears eat bear�s garlic as a spring tonic after awakening from hibernation.
The point of using aromatherapy instead of conventional medications or antibiotics is to return to basics. These herbs have been used for centuries as ways to cure ills, and it well known that a lot of modern medicine is based along these lines. Another reason to use aromatherapy lies in the style of living of people in this day and age. Remaining in towns and cities leaves no communion with nature, save for brief interludes in parks and the countryside. Aromatherapy unleashes the benefits of natural living, and allows for a calm escape from stressful urban life.
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