Aromatherapy is based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims to improve psychological well-being. It is offered as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medicine.
Who is the father of aromatherapy?
The French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé is considered the father of modern aromatherapy. In 1910, almost accidentally, he discovered the healing properties of lavender oil. His hand had been badly burned in a laboratory accident.
As a result, Gattefossé spent the remainder of his career investigating the chemical properties of essential oils. Along the way, he learned, for example, that many oils had been used during World War I to treat combat burns, skin infections, gangrene, and even gunshot wounds.
By the mid-1950s massage therapists, nurses, doctors, and other health practitioners worldwide used inhalation aromatherapy and essential oil massage. Some worked only with essential oils. However, others used the oils along with more traditional medical practices.