Aromatherapy: Making Good Scents
Yesterday and Today
continuedWhat shall we call it?
"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere."
Carl Sagan
In 1928 Rene-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist coined the term aromatherapy. He discovered the healing powers of essential oils when after a laboratory explosion he plunged his burned arm into the nearest tub of cold liquid. The tub was full of lavender oil, and not only did he find relief from the pain, but he found that the wound healed at an astonishing rate. Gattefossé went on to study the properties of essences for the rest of his life. He theorized that essential oils can be passed from the skin to the body's internal organs because the skin is connected to the brain and nervous system. He also classified the various effects of essential oils on the digestive system, the metabolism, the nervous system, and the endocrine glands. He eventually classified the oils according to their "healing" properties: antitoxic, antiseptic, tonifying, stimulating, calming, and so on. (His book Gattefosse's Aromatherapy the First Book on Aromatherapy is still available today.
It is thought that the Egyptians coined the term perfume from the Latin per fumum which translates as "through the smoke."
The Greek word, arómata, describes incense, perfume, spices, and aromatic medicines.
The Greek word for Christ, Christos, means "anointed," from the Greek chriein, meaning to anoint.
In the 15th century, Paracelcus, an alchemist, medical doctor, and radical thinker, is credited with coining the term Essence and his studies drastically challenged the nature of alchemy as he focused upon using plants as medicines.
In 1732, when the Italian Giovanni Maria Farina took over his uncle's business in Cologne, he produced aqua admirabilis, a lively blend of neroli, bergamot, lavender, and rosemary in rectified grape spirit. This was splashed on the skin and often used for treating sore gums and indigestion. The French soldiers stationed there dubbed it eau de Cologne.
Who had scents?
"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."
Rachel Carson
In Egypt, essential oils were used in the embalming process, and well-preserved oils were found in alabaster jars in King Tut's tomb. Egyptian temples were dedicated to the production and blending of the oils, and recipes were recorded on the walls in hieroglyphics. There is even a sacred room in the temple of Isis on the island of Philae where the ritual called Cleansing the Flesh and Book of Evil Deities was practiced. This form of emotional clearing required three days of cleansing with particular essential oils and oil baths.
Hippocrates believed in a daily bath and massage with essential oils as the basis for a sound health system. Commonly called the "father of medicine," he practiced fumigations for both aromatic and medicinal benefits.
The principles of aromatherapy even played a part in the building of towns when a town commissioned by Akhenaton, husband of Nefertiti, was built with large spaces for the burning of herbs to keep the air germ free.
Alexander the Great — who, when he entered the tent of the conquered King Darius after the battle of Issos, scornfully threw out the king's box of precious ointments and perfumes-learned to love aromatics after a few years traveling in Asia. He then sent representatives to Yemen and Oman to find the source of the Arabian incense with which he anointed his body and which burned constantly by his throne. To his Athenian classmate Theophrastus he sent plant cuttings picked up during his extensive travels, thus establishing a botanical garden in Athens. Theophrastus' treatise On Odors covered all the basics: blending perfumes, shelf life, using wine with aromatics, properties that carry scent, and the effect of odor on the mind and body.
Nero, Roman emperor in 54 AD, spent the equivalent of $100,000 to scent just one party he was giving. Carved ivory ceilings in his dining rooms were fitted with hidden silver spice-filled pipes that sprayed down mists of perfumed waters on guests below, while panels slid aside to shower guests with fresh rose petals. (All this fragrant excess wasn't without its mishaps; one unfortunate guest is said to have been suffocated by a thick cloud of those petals.) Both men and women literally bathed in perfume while attended by slaves called cosmetae. Three types of perfume were applied to the body: solid unguents, scented oil, and perfumed powders, all purchased from the shops of unguentarii, who were regarded at the same level as doctors. The Romans even referred to their sweethearts as "my myrrh" and "my cinnamon," much as we would use the endearments "honey" and "sweetheart." Fragrant earthenware cups were especially fashionable and over 1,000 perfumed watering spots were scattered around the city.
A pair of scented gloves so enthralled Queen Elizabeth I that she had a perfumed leather cape and shoes made to match. Sixteenth-century Elizabethans powdered their skin, hair, and clothes with scented powders, and toned their skin with perfumed vinegars and aromatic waters.
One of Egypt's more lavish Pharaohs, Ramses III, once offered 246 measures and 86 bundles of cinnamon for a petition to one of his deities. In South America, Montezuma's gardens provided many new and important remedies and treatments.
The spread of Islam helped to expand appreciation and knowledge of fragrance. Mohammed, whose life spanned the 6th and 7th centuries, is said to have loved children, women, and fragrance above all else. His favorite scent was probably camphire (henna), but it was the rose that came to permeate Moslem culture. Rose water purified the mosque, scented gloves, flavored sherbet and Turkish delight, and was sprinkled on guests from a flask. Prayer beads made from gum arabic and rose petals released their scent when handled.
Napoleon is said to have gone through several bottles of aqua admirabilis (mentioned under the What shall we call it? section) a day-making it so popular that 39 competitors and a half century of law suits resulted. Other fashionable fragrances included rose, violet, and patchouli, which were used on the imported Indian shawls made popular by Napoleon's famous consort, Josephine.
