Category: Aromatherapy

Patchouli is native to India but is now cultivated throughout the world. It is a very potent aromatic as it is musty-sweet in small quantities yet overpowering in high volume. In the United States, the fragrance gained notable popularity as an incense and essential oil in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, it first made its mark in the fashion world. In the 1800s, the scent of patchouli was used to scent woven shawls imported into the United Kingdom from India. In marketing these garments it was discovered that, while the scented garments experienced a great deal of popularity, the same product offered for sale without the scent of patchouli remained on the shelf unsold.

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Like some of the other fruity scents, the orange essential can be derived from the fruit, the blossom, or a combination of both. A pure blossom essential is often recognized by the name neroli. More often the fragrant oil known as orange is produced from the aromatic skin of the fruit. Like its citrus family relatives, the lemon and the lime, orange oil is employed in a great variety of ways, from the kitchen to the cosmetic to the therapeutic and magical.

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Peppermint is another plant that has the honor of mythological creation in ancient Greece. According to the legend, there was once a nymph called Mentha who was beloved of Pluto. Persephone, the mate of the underworld god, pursued the nymph in a fit of jealousy. On finding her, the goddess trampled the nymph into the ground.

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One of the more common cooking spices, rosemary has also been long employed as a medicinal remedy. The therapeutic benefits of rosemary were heralded by many of the seventeenth and eighteenth century English herbalists, and the essential oil has been in common use for more than a hundred years. In modern times, there are many aro-matherapists who view rosemary as a sort of heal-all remedy, good for many of the ailments that plague humankind and as a promoter of general health and well-being.

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When we think of roses, the picture that first comes to mind is the blood-red flower, though there are many colored variations. This is fitting, for there are many tales of the rose that relate it to blood. In varying mythologies, it is said to have risen from the blood of Venus or from the blood of Adonis.

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Commonly known as a key ingredient in cleaners and disinfectants, its therapeutic value parallels its household use. Easily recognized as the fragrance of “clean,” it can also be used to cleanse the body and mind.

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Not one of the more common oils, spikenard nevertheless has had a long history of usage. There is a bible story that relates the tale of a devoted wo-man who anointed the feet of Christ with precious oil believed to be spikenard. Even at that time, as much as 2,000 years ago, this aromatic essential was dear to obtain. In today’s money, it would have cost $300-$400 for a small container of the scent.

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Sandalwood is an age-old source for fragrant usage, both for religious and for therapeutic purpose. Ancient writings dating as far back as the fifth century b.c. substantiate its common usage in the land we now recognize as India. And while it is still a very popular Asian aromatic, sandalwood has become commonplace worldwide.

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Both the flower and the leaf may be used to produce violet oil. This is another fragrance that’s readily available in artificial form, as the natural product is cost prohibitive. While it is true that the leaf essential is less expensive to produce than the flower oil, neither one is cheaply manufactured. As its application affects the mental status more than the physical, violet oil is more commonly used for magical rather than therapeutic purpose, though it is not without value in treating some conditions of the mind.

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Common to the city dweller as well as the farm worker, vanilla spurs on many pleasantries of childhood memory. Whether it is a fragrance reminiscent of Grandma’s baking or the scent of ice cream being freshly cranked, almost everyone will recall pleasant times filled with the fragrance of vanilla. Some may remember it as the aroma of snow cream, the poor folks’ ice cream concocted from vanilla, a few common kitchen staples, and some freshly fallen snow. Most commonly vanilla is used in extract form for culinary pursuits, but it is also available in essential oil form. These days it has adopted a varied complement of uses, from the cosmetic preparations including shampoos, skin creams, and massage oils to the magical, therapeutic, and flavor applications.

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