HISTORY OF ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils are pure essences that are extracted from natural plants through the scintific processes of distillation cold pressing ,steaming to name a few.
These are procured from the plant's root,stem,bark, leaves,fruit and flowers.Not all plants but specific category of them are suitable to yield essential oils.
Since time immemorial, mankind has been using herbs and plants to get essential oils and using these in various ways.in perfumery, cosmetics,medicines and also for religious purposes. Ancient EGYPT was the first to recognise the importance of essential oils. The EGYPTIANS used to cultivate plants of medicinal value and used the essences in beauty products,cure of ailments,purification of environment & religious rituals and also for embalming the dead bodies which they preserved with the intention of getting heavenly atonement. Thereafter,in the records of ORIENT civilization it is mentioned that people used to keep seeds,leaves.flowers in long glass bottles filled with fatty oils.They would put the bottles in sunlight for many days to get the infused blends of oils through the natural heat of the Sun.In those days,oils of Myrrh,Loban were of commercial value.In Biblical times also.mention is made of an ointment prepared from the herbs and aromatic plants.This ointment was used for cleaning the church vessels, candlesticks and for the purification of church priest also. GREEKS picked up the knowledge of aromatic essential oils from Egyptians and made good use of it the field of medicines and religious rituals of purification .Greek physician Hippocrates used oil massages as part of theraphy for his clients with the purpose of practising holistic healing. The ROMANS were great believers in hygiene. They used to indulge in aromatic baths by using the herbal essences and wouls relax& rejuvenate themselves to get fresh energy.
ANCIENT INDIA of vedic times has a great role to play in the research,popularity and growth of essential oils in the world.The Ayurveda system of medicine is based on the extensive and integrated use of herbs, medicinal plants and their essences.It was demon king RAVANA who wrote ARK SANHITA which not only contains detailed description of the essential oils but the techniques of distillation .cold pressind and the kind of vessel in which the arks should be preserved ,is also given great importance.
In 1937,the French chemist and perfumer Rene Morris Fesse accidently discoverd that plants have properties that cure the wounds.He coined the term AROMATHERAPY .In second world war,doctors would treat the injured soldiers on the field with specific kind of pure oils,The soldiers also used to carry with them the relevant oils of healing properties to the war- field .After that especially since 70' 80'essential oils hane gained immense popuratity and have drawn the attention of researchers to explore and find out the valuable life giving properties contained in them. Today,there is increaring use of essential oils all over the world because of their therapeutic value and also because of the shift in people's awareness to be more close to nature and natural products.
ARTI GUPTA
{ 28.07.2021 }