Evolution of aromatherapy

Plants have magical power to treat human beings. It has long been recorded in ancient civilizations with thousands of years' history: it can be said that there were medical behaviors when there were human beings. This can be known from the fact that animals will find their own herbs to treat diseases when they are sick. Humans have also found that these plants can alleviate the discomfort and pain when they are sick, and the experience of treating diseases with herbs has been passed down from generation to generation.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) developed in China, China, also began with Shennong tasting a hundred herbs. The most impressive classic is Huangdi Neijing, which records the causes and treatments of many diseases, among which the wisdom of using plants is the guide of modern Chinese medicine. Later, Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica recorded more than 2,000 kinds of medicinal materials (plants) and more than 8,000 kinds of prescriptions, which was the basis of modern Chinese medicine.

As early as 3000 BC in Egypt, Egyptians began to use sesame oil. Later, it was found that Egyptian mummies could be preserved for thousands of years, but preservatives such as cedar and myrrh were added. In the process of excavating pyramids, archaeologists often find some tools for squeezing or distilling wood and plants.

Especially in the "Great Pyramid" built by Pharaoh Khufu, many records of cosmetics, medicines and massage cream were found. Cypress is a plant they often use to exorcise evil spirits, and myrrh should be used to treat eye inflammation and so on. Aromatic ointment is one of their sacrifices to the gods. 1000 years ago, the granite slate recorded that Pharaoh sacrificed ointment to lions, and the priest who made the ointment was the earliest perfumer.

In the story of aromatherapy, it is recorded that Cleopatra Pedra used essential oil to protect her skin and make her whole body full of fragrance, making Anthony and Julius Caesar her love prisoners. Cleopatra once spent a lot of money to make sesame oil with plants in the "perfume garden" to make her hands soft; In addition, she likes to put on jasmine perfume and use political and diplomatic skills in negotiations to let Caesar calm down the civil strife for her.

Greece, Rome

Western aromatherapy began in Egypt, but was carried forward by Greece and Rome. The temple of the beautiful goddess, abalo Deti, has the most records, and the popular word SPA in this century at that time meant medical bath or medical resort. In modern Greece, there are still many fragrant hot springs to attract tourists. For example, Abe Dorus is said to be the birthplace of the son of Apollo and Avro Dadi.

The Romans were far more extravagant than the Greeks, and the expansion of the empire was beyond their power. They also brought fragrant ointment to Constantinople in West Asia. Incense in Roman times was divided into solid, liquid and powder. Romans who like bathing even made containers of ivory to store sesame oil; Not to mention, they make good use of marble, agate, granite, glass and other materials to make beautiful containers for putting sesame oil. In addition to exquisite containers, their use of spices is even more staggering. Usually, an essence rich in tellurium will be mixed with dozens of plants. Common ones are myrrh, honey, cardamom, vanilla, camphor, cinnamon and so on. Whether it is the human body, clothes, beds, walls, or even public bathhouses, it is full of fragrance.

Middle East In the Middle East, the birthplace of religion, it is also found that in the tomb where Jesus was laid, there is myrrh ointment traditionally used by Israelis to wrap the remains. Arabs who are good at scientific inventions improved the distillation method handed down by Romans and successfully extracted rose essential oil. Besides scientific inventions, Arabs are also good at doing business. They sell essential oils, ointments and toilet water they find all over the world. Let Europeans have a more detailed concept of medical care and treatment.

India also has plant classics in India, the most famous of which is the Vedas, which is also the basis of traditional Indian medicine-Ayurvedic medicine. In particular, India is a religious country, and the use of religiously developed drugs makes clove, black pepper, sandalwood, benzoin and other Indian medicinal materials the most expensive. Modern Status During the Renaissance (14-16th century), herbalism was widely spread due to the invention of letterpress printing.

The most famous ones are 1527 Bacon Materia Medica, published by Bacon Publishing House, and 16 th century Salomon's Complete Works of Prescription. By17th century, it was the golden age of British herbalists. At that time, there were several masters, such as Karl Bepo, Parkinson and Gerald. Their knowledge of herbal medicine is of great significance to modern aromatherapy. Gateforse is a chemist. He formally put forward the term aromatherapy in 1930s. Once, when he was developing a new product in a family perfume company, he accidentally injured his hand due to a chemical explosion. In desperation, he quickly reached into a bowl of liquid next to him. Incredibly, burned hands hurt less, and blisters and wounds were reduced a lot. This bowl of liquid is lavender essential oil. Gateforse developed the anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and healing properties of lavender.

Since then, he became interested in various plant essential oils, began to study the healing function of essential oils, and wrote the earliest monograph on aromatherapy.

Another famous aromatherapy researcher is Dr. Jeanne. He used plant essential oil to treat soldiers injured in World War II, which made essential oil have an inseparable relationship with medical treatment and obtained an official medical license in France. His book Aromatherapy is a necessary reference book for modern aromatherapists.

When Gateforse expressed his views on essential oils, Sir Fleming also discovered the antibiotic penicillin. This is also a natural therapy, which is separated from mold culture. Of course, today we no longer use natural penicillin.

In 1950s, Margaret Morley studied a lot of Gateforse's works on essential oils, applied aromatherapy to beauty and skin rejuvenation for the first time, and introduced aromatherapy to Britain. In the book "Ms. Jasmine Aromatherapy", the health care, beauty, diet, cooking and physical therapy of essential oil are described. In addition, Mrs. Jasmine is not only committed to understanding the efficacy of each natural essential oil, but also studying how to use essential oil to care for the skin and advocating the use of compound essential oil to care for the skin, so Mrs. Jasmine is the first person to combine aromatherapy with beauty.

With the appearance of Shirley Price in 1970s, the application of aromatherapy has changed greatly. Shirley believes that an aromatherapy therapist should have rich knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, as well as the efficacy of various chemical components of aromatherapy essential oils, and have special physiotherapy skills, so she opened Shirley Price Aromatherapy College at 1978. At present, the society has been affirmed by a large number of evaluation meetings of aromatherapy groups established by overall medical organizations, and its educational functions and qualifications have been recognized.

At the same time, French doctors became interested in essential oils and conducted many clinical studies. People are more interested in preventive drugs and are more keen to understand medical problems.

Since the 1990s, aromatherapy has been active in our life, combining the wisdom of thousands of years of ancient civilization with the empirical research results of medical scientists and scientists in this century. It provides us with effective and pleasant health care choices, and at the same time achieves the overall effect of balancing body and mind.

Since ancient humans discovered the mystery of the influence of aromatic herbs and plants on human health, aromatherapy has not only rich clinical experience, but also gradually become a popular adjuvant therapy. The fragrance not only gives people a comfortable feeling, but also purifies the air, which is also good for human health. Aromatherapy refers to the use of aromatic oils and other aromatic substances to prevent and treat mental and nervous system diseases. Such as fatigue, irritability, insomnia, dermatosis and allergic reaction. It also helps to strengthen the body's resistance, stimulate sexual desire and treat some infertility.

The use of fragrance to prevent and treat diseases has risen in many countries and regions. Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in ancient China, used incense (musk, clove, sandalwood) to make powder, put it in a silk bag and hung it indoors to treat respiratory and upper gastrointestinal diseases.

Hao Bin, a well-known stress management expert in China, said in an interview: "Aromatherapy is very popular in Europe, which can regulate mental state and mood. The "forest hospital" and "flower hospital" there are highly respected by people. Such hospitals use the fragrance of trees and flowers and the quiet environment to adjust the patient's physical and mental state. " In the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, the former Soviet Union, there was a "fragrant flower hospital", which planted many flowers and plants beneficial to human health. Under the guidance of scientists and the careful cultivation of doctors, the floral fragrance of these plants can maintain its unique properties. Japanese medical experts have found that the fragrance of flowers is a good medicine for some diseases caused by mental stress. Professor Zuo Shanyan, a professor of medical essence neurology at Xinglin University in Japan, found that the human body is often in a state of fatigue, and unconsciously appears symptoms such as palpitation and dyspnea, and even causes hypertension, gastric ulcer and allergic diseases in severe cases, and flower fragrance has a good effect on these diseases.

Medical experts believe that the aromatic oils of various flowers have special medical effects on different diseases. Five kinds of flowers are used to treat cardiovascular diseases, bronchial asthma, hypertension, liver cirrhosis and neurasthenia, and all of them have achieved remarkable results. Generally, patients are allowed to lie on a comfortable and soft bed in the garden and smell the "symptomatic" floral fragrance accompanied by light music leisurely, which can relieve pain without taking medicine or injections. If combined with gymnastics, walking and other sports activities, the effect is better. Flower fragrance can sterilize and cure diseases because of the action of terpenoid gas substances emitted by flowers. It is a fragrant and attractive small molecule, floating in the air and spreading constantly, killing some pathogenic bacteria around it. When people breathe between flowers, this small molecule naturally enters the human body and plays the role of aromatherapy. Wa Bruce, president of the Polish Aromatherapy Association, said that there are two ways to treat diseases with aromatherapy: 1. Through massage and shower, volatile aroma can enter the human body from the skin. 2. Breathe in the smell of hunger in the air through the breathing function.

The most effective aromatherapy is massage after applying aromatic oil. Aromatic oil itself is very active, and it is best to mix it with other oil with strong permeability. Aromatic oils with strong permeability include almond oil, nucleolar oil, grape seed oil and sunflower seed oil. In fact, these oils themselves have therapeutic effects on the skin. Aromatic oil molecules can penetrate into the skin, enter the blood and lymphatic system, and then spread throughout the body.

Nowadays, more and more countries decorate their offices with pleasant smells, which helps to reduce the fatigue of staff and prevent the spread of diseases such as colds. Some banks in Japan use lemon fragrance in their offices, which greatly improves employees' attention and work efficiency. Using the scent of lavender in the patient's room can enliven the patient's mood.

According to experts' research, it is found that the fragrance of more than 300 kinds of flowers contains different fungicides, many of which are beneficial to human body. Therefore, the fragrance of different flowers has an auxiliary treatment effect on different diseases. For example, chrysanthemum contains aromatic substances such as borneol and chrysanthemum ketone, which can improve symptoms such as headache, cold and blurred vision after inhalation; Jasmine fragrance can relieve headache, stuffy nose, dizziness and other symptoms; The fragrance of cloves can purify the air, sterilize and help treat asthma. The fragrance of lily is exciting and can purify the environment; The fragrance of Tianzhu flower has the functions of calming nerves, eliminating fatigue and promoting sleep, which is helpful to treat neurasthenia; The fragrance of roses and gardenia helps to treat sore throat and tonsillitis; The smell of osmanthus helps to treat bronchitis. The fragrance of cordate telosma can remove odor; The fragrance of tulips helps to treat anxiety and depression; Rhododendron fragrance has certain curative effect on tracheitis and asthma; The fragrance of daffodils can make people feel refreshed; The fragrance of peony flowers can make people feel happy, and also has the effect of calming and hypnotizing.

Some flowers can also absorb harmful gases and purify the air. For example, Chimonanthus praecox can absorb water vapor and reduce the mercury content in the air; Orchids can absorb carbon monoxide in the atmosphere; Marigold can absorb fluoride; Pomegranate flowers can reduce the lead content in the air.