Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses essential oils and other aromatic compounds derived from plants for the purpose of affecting a persons mood and/or health. It is often used in combination of another alternative practices or spiritual beliefs.

Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing fields in alternative medicine. It is widely accepted and used at home, clinics and hospitals for a variety of conditions and illnesses. It is commonly used by pregnant women during labour , pain relief for cancer and cardiac patients. In Japan engineers are incorporating aroma systems into new buildings - while many companies use essential oils in their air conditioning systems; as example adding lavender and rosemary to create a calming environment or banks have been known to add lemon and eucalyptus to keep bank tellers alert.

The therapeutical properties of essential oils are known from the beginnings of time. From early writings from centuries ago it is shown that essential oils have been used in the medical system of India, known as “Ayuvedra”. And as we well know the Egyptians used the aromatic oils as medicine, massages and baths, and the Greeks and Romans also used aromatic oils to heal injuries, lubricate the skin, repel insects, as well as to purify the air and embalm bodies.

Aromatherapy means "treatment using scents" this is used as a holistic treatment to care for the body with pleasant smelling botanical oils such as rose, peppermint, lavender or lemon just to name a few. Aromatherapy is used to alleviate tension & fatigue, invigorate the body or used as pain relief.

The essential oils are inhaled directly or diffused by using a burner to scent the entire room, added to a bath or massaged directly into the skin. Essential oils work on the nervous system and brain through stimulation of the olfactory nerves. These oils contain a great variety of hormones and nutrients that have useful properties to fight bacterium, viruses and depression. Other substances of essential oils, which are taken advantage of when using aromatherapy, are their relaxation, stimulation and digestion properties. To get the most from essential oils they should be made from pure raw materials.

For more information on Aromatherapy and Alternative Medicine in general then check out: http://www.healthyalternativemedicine.com/aromatherapy