Aromatherapy is a term coined by French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse in the 1920s to describe the practice of using essential oils taken from plants, flowers, roots, seeds, etc., in healing.
According to Robert Todd Carroll’s The Skeptics Dictionary, the term is a bit misleading, since the aromas of oils, whether natural or synthetic, are generally not themselves therapeutic. Carroll adds that aromas are used to identify the oils, to determine adulteration, and to stir the memory, but not to directly bring about a cure or healing. It is the "essence" of the oilits chemical propertiesthat gives it whatever therapeutic value the oil might have. Furthermore, vapors are used in some but not all cases of aromatherapy. In most cases, the oil is rubbed onto the skin or ingested in a tea or other liquid. Some aroma therapists even consider cooking with herbs a type of aromatherapy.
Over at QuackWatch.org, Stephen Barrett, M.D., has looked into the dubious claims of most aromatherapy providers. Among the companies he has looked into is Aroma Vera, Inc., of Los Angeles, which claims that "essential oils have the power to purify the air we breathe while they relax, stimulate, soothe or sharpen our senses... a wonderful antidote to the air pollution and scentsory imbalance of modern life." It also claims that inhaling the scents "balances the biological background," "revitalizes the cells," and produces a "strong energizing effect on the sympathetic nervous system."
Joint Adventure, of Rogers, Arkansas, states that essential oils can be used for "many different purposes from athletes foot to enlightenment and almost every point between!"
Still part of Dr. Barrett’s growing dossier is a practitioner claiming that the technique "addresses the nervous system and the energy fields of the body. It soothes the body, cleans the body, clears the body, and tones the body." The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, by Valerie Ann Worwood, states that there are about 300 essential oils and that they constitute an extremely effective medical system.
In the Skeptics Dictionary, Carroll concludes: “I would not reject aromatherapy out of hand, however. When I have a cold and a stuffy nose, Ill use Vicks VapoRub, a mixture of camphor, menthol and eucalyptus oil. Strictly speaking, I suppose I am a practicing aromatherapist. However, when I look at what people who call themselves aromatherapists claim, I have to conclude that aromatherapy is a mostly a pseudoscientific alternative medical therapy. It is a mixture of folklore, trial and error, anecdote, testimonial, New Age spiritualism and fantasy. What aromatherapy lacks is a knack for sniffing out non-sense.”
I agree with Carroll’s findings. I recently bought a Marjoram scent from Aromas Naturales, a company based in Spain and with ISO 9001 certification. I first had my dad use it at night, to test its claim that it will eliminate snoring. My purchase had a 40-day guarantee. Guess what? I ended up not returning it, although I was highly skeptical at first. I even bought another jar for myself. Bottomline is it hasn’t totally eliminated snoring as far I know from what my family members tell me—but it sure has eliminated a major portion of it. And my mom attests to that. She sleeps better now in my dad’s room.
Rilsto Mathe is the webmaster of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy Group http://www.aromatherapygroup.com