Aromatherapy: is it a Legitimate Therapy?

You've seen those mysterious little brown bottles in the health food store. But do you really know what "essential oils" are? Have you seen outrageous claims about lavender instantly curing wounds and found yourself thinking "Whoa!"? Let's take a look at one of the biggest fads to hit North America in years and try to separate some of the fact from the fiction.

Aromatherapy: What Is It, Exactly?

While the use of aromatic plant materials dates back millennia, aromatherapy as we know it is a relatively new idea. In fact, the term "aromatherapy" wasn't even coined until the 1920s. And though you'll find people who claim aromatherapy can cure everything from AIDS to dandruff let's first look at aromatherapy in its purest form--the use of fragrant plant materials to alter mood, create an atmosphere, and personalize a room.

Ask an aromatherapy aficionado and he'll tell you that "true" aromatherapy uses only pure, natural plant materials. But the truth is, mood can be influenced by any scent--natural or not. Ask any realtor about the use of scents and he might just suggest baking a batch of cinnamon rolls or an apple pie while showing your home to prospective buyers. An old wives tale? Some people think so but others swear by it.

Enter The Quacks

Let's be honest. There are fear-mongering folks out there hawking aromatherapy as an aphrodisiac, a treatment for clinical depression and even as a cure for cancer. But good scientific studies on aromatherapy are rare. Even among natural health experts aromatherapy isn't taken all that seriously. (Just try to find it covered in one of Dr. Andrew Weil's books or explored at your next herb conference.) At best it's considered a complimentary therapy and an offshoot of traditional European herbalism.

So Where Does That Leave Us?

Aromatherapy may not cure terminal illness or heal burns in the blink of an eye but it's a wonderful way to bring natural scents into your home. Essential oils don't have the sickeningly sweet scent of artificial air fresheners or the solvent scent of room sprays. Whether you use them to freshen potpourri, diffuse them into the air, or use them to scent your linens, essential oils are a quick, easy way to inject a bit of your own personality into your private space.

And that's really what aromatherapy is all about. Making your life just a little more pleasant.