Table 1.
Historical evolution
| Country | Cultural Therapy |
|---|---|
| Egyptian culture | Resins, balms, and fragrant oils Papyrus Ebers wrote a famous manuscript about aromatic medicine. This is believed to be around 2800 bc. |
| Iraq | A skeleton was found 30,000 years ago with concentration of extracted plant essential oils. |
| India | The Ayurveda natural system of medicine was based on disease due to an imbalance of stress in a person’s consciousness. Need to regain balance by internal purifications followed by special diet, herbal remedies, massage therapy, yoga, and meditation |
| China | Shen Nung’s manuscript listed 350 plants in 2800 bc. Ayurvedic physicians are called holy men. Indian shamans are known as perfumeros, from scents of plants. Chinese culture still embraces herbal medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine Based on harmony energy of yin-yang Opposites balance is key to health. Imbalance have illness Acupuncture, cupping, herbal teas, powders from plants, meditation, and herbal burning near skin |
| Greece | Theophrastus inherited the botanic garden from Aristotle. He wrote a book about specific uses and formulas for aromatics. Kyphi formula contained 16 plants and was used for sleep and anxiety, to soothe skin, and as an antidote for snake bite. He became the father of botany. Hippocrates wrote about aromatic baths and antibacterial properties and urged people to carry aromatic plants for protection. Pedanius Dioscorides wrote De Materia Medica covering 700 plants, including aromatics. Pre-Christian era emerged with the belief that essential oils were pagan. In response, Pope Gregory the Great passed a law banning all aromatics. Works of Galen and Hippocrates were smuggled to Syria for safekeeping. |
| Arabia | Ibn Sina, an Arabic physician, used aromatics, such as senna, camphor, and cloves, for medical treatment. Inhaled henbane was used as anesthetic. Topical sugar was used to stop bleeding. Rose or orange blossom was used as flavor to medicine. This led to the manufacturing of medicine. Medical aromatherapy emerged in the third century. The first private apothecary shop opened in Baghdad. with dispensing medicines. such as tinctures, suppositories, inhalants, and pills. |
| German | Hieronymus Braunschweig a surgeon and botanist, wrote a book on distillation of oils from plants that included 25 oils |
| France | In 1919, Gattefossé, a famous chemist, was burned in an explosion in his laboratory. The wounds became infected. Wound rinsing with essential oils eradicated the infection. He coined the term, aromatherapy, and was known for the medical use of essential oils with their antibacterial and healing properties of essential oils. Jean Valnet, an army physician, wrote the first aromatherapy book by a doctor. Shirley Price authored Aromatherapy for Healthcare Professionals. She is known for clinical use of essential oils. In 1961, Marguerite Maury, a nurse, published Le Capital “Jeunesse”. This book classified clinical departments’ use of essential oils, such as surgery and spa treatment. Maury won 2 international awards for her research. |