02/03/2018
AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils-concentrated, fragrant extracts of plants-to promote relaxation and help relieve various symptoms. Suppliers of aromatherapy oils extract them from specific parts of plants-the roots, bark, stalks, flowers, leaves, or fruit-by two methods: Distillation uses successive evaporation and condensation to pull the oils from the plants; Cold-pressing squeezes rinds or peels through a machine to press out the oils. Users then administer the oils in several ways, generally by applying them to the skin or inhaling their scents.
Some practitioners believe the oils have both physical and ethereal (spiritual) qualities and effects. They assert that the oils work on the emotions because the nerves involved in the sense of smell are directly linkedto the brain's limbic system, which governs emotion, and that the active componentsof oils give them specific therapeutic value.
