Aromatherapy at

Pendle Natural Healing Centre

A Brief History

Aromatic medicine, the ancient beginnings of the art of aromatherapy, was recorded in both Egypt and India more than 4,000 years ago. The Egyptians used aromatic plants to create massage oils, medicines, embalming preparations, skin care products, fragrant perfumes and cosmetics. The Indians also used plant aromatics  as part of the ancient medical practice known as Ayurveda. 

At the beginning of this century, particularly in France and England, a movement by noted doctors and scholars in the naturopathic and medical communities prompted a reawakening to the benefits of natural medicine and aromatherapy. Today in England and the United States, aromatherapy is a commonly accepted complimentary medicine. In France, it is common to find doctors who practice aromatherapy, pharmacies that sell essential oils and health insurance companies that reimburse for treatments using these approaches. 

What is Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the art, and science, of using oils extracted from aromatic plants to enhance health and beauty. Apart from the physical benefits, essential oils can have subtle effects on the mind and emotions. The essential oils taken from plants and used in Aromatherapy have been described as their "life force" - they are essential to the plants' biological process, as well as being the substance which gives them their scent. Synthetic oils, even if chemically similar, will lack all the natural elements, and that vital life-force, that make essential oils so valuable therapeutically.

Aromatherapy is a way to improve the quality of life on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Aromatherapy is already a part of our lives, although we may not have associated the name with the experience.

Everyone has emotional responses, both pleasant and unpleasant, to certain scents. The idea behind aromatherapy is, first, to find the scents, unique for each individual, that evoke positive sensory feelings and emotions; and then to introduce those scents into our everyday life to enhance well-being. Natural scents keep us connected to the earth, sparking memories and emotions.

The results of aromatherapy are very individual. While there is general agreement about the actions of certain oils, aromatherapy texts vary in their descriptions of the properties and characteristics of an essential oil. No two persons are affected by the same essential oil in exactly the same way. Even the same person can be affected differently by the same oil depending on surroundings, time of day or mood.

To contact us:

email: therapists@pendlenhc.cjb.net