Aromatherapy: Scent and Psyche: Using Essential Oils for Physical and Emotional Well-BeingAromatic oils have been used for thousands of years not only for their fragrance but for culinary, therapeutic, ritual, and spiritual purposes. More than a fashionable trend, aromatherapy is coming into its own as a body of knowledge and practice with specific applications that have a solid scientific base. Drawing on research and clinical studies, Peter and Kate Damian look at many applications from treating viral infections with garlic or black pepper oil to using rose oil to relax patients undergoing chemotherapy; from aromatic massage to the "environmental fragrancing" of subways and supermarkets. Explores: • How scent interacts with emotion, memory, mental acuity, and sleep • Why specific scents are so effective in therapeutic and ritual settings • Antiseptic and antimicrobial properties of essential oils How men and women differ in their responses to odors • Provides a thorough exposition of the ancient practice of aromatics in China, India, Persia, and Egypt • Details our modern scientific understanding of the physiology and psychology of scent. • Includes annotated profiles for forty-four essential oils and specific instructions for creating essential oil blends. |
Contents
Introduction To Aromatherapy | 1 |
Phytoaromatherapy and the Theory of Disease | 33 |
Smell and the Psychology of Scent | 56 |
Aromatherapy Today and Tomorrow Theory and Practice Issues and Debates | 108 |
Psychotherapeutic Effects of Essential Oils | 141 |
The Chemistry of Essential Oils | 166 |
Essential Oil Profiles | 179 |
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activity aesthetic analgesic angelica animals antidepressant antiseptic aromatherapy aromatic basil bath bay laurel behavior bergamot black pepper blends body carrot seed cells chamomile Roman chemical chemotypes Citrus clary sage clove cognitive complex compress consciousness diffusor drugs effects emotional environmental fragrancing essence essential oils etheric double eucalyptus feelings fennel floral fragrance industry geranium ginger glands hemisphere holistic hormones human ical ingredients inhalation jasmine juniper lavender left brain lemon lemongrass limbic system marjoram massage medicine memory mental mind moods myrrh natural neroli nerve neuron nose odors olfaction olfactory organism patchouli peppermint percent perfume perfumery petitgrain pheromones physical physiological phytoaromatherapy plant properties psycho-physiological psychological pure essential oils remedy responses rose rosemary sandalwood scent sedative sense of smell sensory sential oils skin specific spritzer steam distillation stimulating stomachic subliminal substances synthetic taste tea tree therapeutic therapy tion tonic toxic treatment Valnet vetiver vomeronasal organ yarrow ylang ylang
Popular passages
Page 234 - Steve and George H. Dodd, eds. Perfumery: The Psychology and Biology of Fragrance. London: Chapman & Hall, 1988.