European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

AROMATHERAPY: THE NATURAL COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPY OF PLANT ESSENTIAL OIL

Shritesh Ramdas Bhoyar*

ABSTRACT

Aromatherapy dates back to more than 3500 BC. Aromatics were used during the period for medicine, perfume, and religious rituals. The French scientist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse really coined the word "aromatherapy" in 1935 as a result of his successful use of lavender essential oil to cure a burn event. One complementary therapy that uses essential oils as the main therapeutic agents to treat a variety of ailments is aromatherapy. It is sometimes referred to as essential oil therapy. Various techniques are used to extract the volatile or essential oils from the flowers, barks, stems, leaves, roots, fruits, and other plant components. The most popular essential oils include eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rose, ylang ylang and lavender. the most essential oils are safe to use but there are some precautions we should take while using them. The modes of application include inhalation, skin application, air diffusion, compressed and bath. Aromatherapy has been steadily gaining popularity in today’s society cause Aromatherapy has potential to treat many conditions including asthma, insomnia, depression, cancer, menopause, and arthritis. Used professionally and safely, aromatherapy can be of great benefit as an adjunct to conventional medicine or used simply as an alternative. this review provides information about history of aromatherapy, types of aromatherapy, essential oils used in aromatherapy, safety precautions and its pharmacological actions.

Keywords: Aromatherapy, essential oils, complementary therapy, skin, diffuser.