The history of aromatherapy begins over years BC. Aromatics were at the time for religious purposes, perfume, and medicine.
The actual term "aromatherapy" was invented by the French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse in after a burn incident, he claimed he treated it effectively with lavender essential oil. Aromatherapy is a branch of phytotherapy that uses the volatile active ingredients of aromatic plants. These are plants that have the ability to synthesise an essence thanks to sunlight and photosynthesis. This science focusses on the use of essential oils for therapeutic, curative, or preventive purposes.
For the most part, the essential oils are extracted by steam distillation of part of the plant such as the leaves, flowers or bark. Only the essences of citrus pericarp such as orange or mandarin zest tend to be obtained via mechanical cold pressing. Other scientists, such as Charles Chamberland, a biologist and assistant to Louis Pasteur, had already looked into their spectacular antimicrobial action.
In the 5th century BCE, Hippocrates was already treating patients with aromatic vapours. While plants and plant extracts have been used empirically for thousands of years evidence of this can be found in India, Pakistan, Iran, China and Ancient Egypt , it was not until , in Grasse, France a city of perfume-makers and a venerated centre of distillation, that the study of essential oils came into being.
Very quickly, some of the leading scientists of the time, such as Louis Pasteur , took an interest in it. From as early as , Charles Chamberland, disciple and assistant to Pasteur, began scientifically measuring the antiseptic effects of oregano, clove and cinnamon essential oils on anthrax He treated them using lavender essential oil.
