Aromatherapy is defined as the use of essential oils from plants (flowers, herbs, or trees) as therapy to improve physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Essential oils are most often inhaled or applied to the skin (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCIH], 2016).
Aromatherapy can also be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences; as such, it seeks to explore the physiological, psychological, and spiritual realm of an individual's response to aromatic extracts as well as to observe and enhance the individual's innate healing process (National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy [NAHA], 2017; Tisserand, 2017).
As a holistic practice, aromatherapy is both a preventive approach to health and an active method employed during acute and chronic stages of illness or disease. It is a natural, noninvasive modality designed to heal the whole person (not just the symptom or disease) and to assist the body's natural ability to balance, regulate, heal, and maintain itself through the correct use of essential oils.
Despite much scientific research and the fact that scientists have long known that certain smells have the power to evoke strong physical and emotional reactions, aromatherapy is often misunderstood and therefore somewhat marginalized. Because aroma literally means fragrance, a popular misconception of aromatherapy is that it involves only the inhalation of perfumes that have little therapeutic value.
Just how essential oils work is not entirely understood. Healthy humans can detect as many as 10,000 different odors but most people are completely unaware of the extent to which smell affects their daily lives (Fontaine, 2000; Keville & Green, 2009).
Some therapists believe that essential oil is the “soul” of the plant, interacting with the body to uplift the spirit and heal conditions of the body and mind (Rankin-Box, 1996). However, after a decade of developing protocols and policies, the use of aromatherapy is expanding (Buckle, 2016 Aromatherapy is now one of the fastest growing therapies in the United States and globally, and it is rapidly gaining scientific, medical, and popular recognition (NAHA, 2017).