Aromatherapy
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History
The use of essential oils for therapeutic, spiritual, hygienic and ritualistic purposes goes back to ancient civilizations including the Indians, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who used them in cosmetics, perfumes and drugs. Oils were used for aesthetic pleasure and in the beauty industry. They were a luxury item and a means of payment. It was believed that essential oils increased the shelf life of wine and improved the taste of food.
Aromatherapy is a practice based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being.[1][2][3] It is used as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medicine, and typically is used via inhalation and not by ingestion.[2]
Fragrances used in aromatherapy are not approved as prescription drugs in the United States.[3] Although there is insufficient medical evidence that aromatherapy can prevent, treat or cure any disease,[1][2][4] aromatherapy is used by some people with diseases, such as cancer, to provide general well-being and relief from pain, nausea or stress.[1][2] People may use blends of essential oils as a topical application, massage, inhalation, or water immersion.[1][2][5] Due to the low quality of research evidence, it is uncertain if aromatherapy provides any benefit to people experiencing nausea after surgery.[6]
Essential oils comprise hundreds to thousands of aromatic constituents, like terpinoids and phenylpropanoids, and to sufficiently research the pharmacological effects of essential oil constituents, each isolated constituent in the selected essential oil would have to be studied.[2][3]
Aromatherapy is based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being.[1]
It is offered as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medicine.[2][3]
Fragrances used in aromatherapy are not approved as prescription drugs in the United States.[4]
People may use blends of essential oils as topical application, massage, inhalation, or water immersion.[5]
There is no good medical evidence that aromatherapy can either prevent, treat or cure any disease.[6]
There is disputed evidence that it may be effective in combating postoperative nausea and vomiting.[7][8]