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The Ancient Egyptian Ebers
Papyrus listed over 800 remedies, much of which consisted of myrrh
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The
use of aromas is believed to date back to the times of the ancient Egyptians and
Babylonians (modern day Iraq). Unlike today where aromas are bottled for us
ladies (and men) to give off the scent of a sweet perfume, back then they were
used solely for medicinal purposes and purposes of hygiene.
The
Ebers Papyrus of ancient Egypt, the world’s oldest preserved medical document
dating back to 1552 BC, listed over 800 remedies much of which consisted of
myrrh - a brownish aromatic gum resin with a bitter slightly pungent taste
obtained from a tree of eastern Africa and Arabia (therealessentials p.1).
In
distant Azerbaijan, the use of aromas was a part of mainstream medicine and not
sidelined as they are today to ‘alternative’ forms of treatment. In the
Middle Ages, when the idea of medical treatment was still slowly becoming
established, medieval Azerbaijani doctors used essential oils and other aromas
as a regular method of treatment for their patients. The legacy of their medical
texts can be found in the Baku’s Manuscript Institute, much of which has been
studied by historian Farid Alakbarov.
In
the ancient kingdom of S. Azerbaijan (Iran), it was a common belief among the
population that they had to be clean in order to attain a higher spirituality.
They used aromatic oils such as frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, rosemary, hyssop,
cassia, cinnamon and spikenard, most of which have become common and highly
priced essential oils in specialist shops today in the West.
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Thyme
was used both as a tonic and an aphrodisiac
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In
Caucasian Albania (N. Azerbaijan) they used the herb thyme (Arabic zatar)
as both a tonic and an aphrodisiac. Other common Azerbaijani aromas that were
utilized included: fennel, lemon balm, spearmint, nutmeg, dill, chamomile,
cinnamon, lime, black cumin, cedar wood, cypress and myrtle. Poet Nzami Ganjavi
(1141-1203) described the use of rose oil as a remedy for headaches and as an
antiseptic.
Whereas
today an expensive French perfume is rated highly, back then shahs and sultans
rated highly the aromatic herbs and ointments from India, Egypt, Byzantium,
China, Russia and the Persian Gulf. It was through the Muslim alchemist Jabir
ibn Hayyan (702 - 765) and others that the process of distillation was refined (Alakbarov
p.1-4). In India, dhoop - incense sticks - are still used as they were in
ancient times.
The
Discovery of ‘Aromatherapy’
The
term ‘aromatherapy’ was coined by French cosmetic chemist Rene-Maurice
Gattefosse in the early 20th
century.
As a result of an accident in his laboratory in which he burnt his hand, he went
for the nearest cooling liquid, that just happened to be lavender. He was
startled by how quickly his hand healed and the fact that there were no visible
scars, so he continued his research. During WWI Gattefosse applied his findings
to injured soldiers and discovered that they too healed quickly. Dr. Jean
Valnet, an army surgeon and medical doctor, used essential oils in WWII to treat
burns and later on to treat veterans suffering from psychiatric problems in
mental hospitals. It was actually during the Plague of the Middle Ages, however,
that Europeans began producing essential oils.
Kwang-Geun
Lee of the University of California at Davis last year
discovered
that some smells could act as antioxidants preventing cancer-forming cells.
"Exposure to these aromas may help to prevent [oxygen] damages, which are a
factor in many diseases," Lee commented. He distilled and extracted 30
chemicals from 10 plants and then he tested them for the presence of
antioxidants. Lee found antioxidants similar to those in Vitamin E in eucalyptus
leaves, basil, thyme, rosemary, chamomile and cinnamon amongst others.
Modern
scientists are still not completely sure how these oils work technically
speaking, but what is known is that the sense of smell works mainly on the
subconscious level, but is directly connected to the primitive part of the brain
known as the limbic system. The limbic system regulates the sensory-motor
function and instincts such as the sex drive, hunger and thirst.
1.
The olfactory nerves (which also affect memory) carry smell sensations to the
brain waking up the brain, and creating imagery associations with the aroma.
Electrical signals are sent to the limbic system activating imagery and behavior
mechanisms.
2.
When absorbed by the skin, inhaled or ingested (in some cases), the essential
oil is transported throughout the body to affect various organ functions
(Lavabre p.10-11).
What
Do They Do?
The
actions of aromatic oils have been classified as follows, but one should
consider that the efficacy of an oil depends largely on its purity. The more
concentrated types are called ‘absolutes’ with very little alcohol content:
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