On Monday I had my first aromatherapy class. I was first introduced to aromatherapy when we lived in London. My hospital specialized in natural childbirth and the midwives were well-versed in this treatment. During labor they prepared special oils that my husband rubbed on my back. I met many people who swore by the various oils for different ailments or to affect moods.

Once we moved back to Japan, my oils sat in a cabinet until I dug them out after last Monday’s class. We made an insect repellant. The oils I chose to mix were Lemon Cent Tea Tree, Lavendar, Tea Tree, and Eucalyptus together with alcohol and purified water. If it keeps the mosquitos off me, I’ll be mixing up batches!

So here are Thirteen things I’ve learned about aromatherapy that I’d like to share with you. If I got anything wrong, please correct me and if you have something to add, share it too! (I probalby should mention that the class was in Japanese. My wonderful teacher translated all her notes in her best English, but there’s still a language gap. So my apologies for any errors.)

1…. French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse coined the term aromantherapy after a lab accident in shich he suffered burns. He applied lavendar essential oil to the burns, resulting in pain relief and faster healing, and described this approach using plant-based healing as “aromatherapy.”

2…. Essential oils are extracted from flowers, leaves, pericarp, bark, roots, seeds, resin etc.

3…. The part of the plant from which the oil is taken can affect the quality. Also the place/location the plant is taken from will change the oil. So the same type of essential oil made in two different parts of a country are likely to be different.

4…. The oils extracted from the plants are extremely concentrated. For the most part, you don’t want to put them directly on the skin. Generally, you will dilute the oil in a carrier oil. For eg. when living in London I took a baby massage class. I mixed a few drops of lavendar in a 500ml bottle of almond oil and massaged my baby.

5…. While aromatherapy isn’t particularly dangerous, you do need to use care. Just like any food or plant allergy, some oils may cause a reaction. It’s always best to do a skin patch test first before applying. That is, rub a small amount on and wait to see if you have any reaction. The scents of some oils will bother people. Don’t use them. Small children can be particularly sensitive. And pregnant and nursing moms should also research carefully before using some oils.

7…. The steam distillation method is one common method to extract the oils from the plant. In this method, the plant raw material is put in the distillation boiler. Steam is blown in directly and any water in the boiler boils. The aroma element of the plant evaporates and with the steam is collected in a cooling tank. The oil separates from the water to become the essential oil, while the water is used for aroma distilled water, such as rose water or lavendar water.

8…. Examples
Extraction: Part Plant
Flower: Chamomile, Rose, Neroli, Ylang Ylang
Leaf: Peppermint, Tea Tree, Geranium
Flower and leaf: Lavendar, Clary Sage
Pericarp: Bergamot, Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange
Resin: Benzoin, Frankincense
Tree: Sandalwood
Berry: Juniper

9…. Aromatherapy works on the physical and pyschological (or spirtual). It enters the body through three methods. We inhale the scent through our sense of smell, which then triggers a response in the brain. It is passed through the skin where it then circulates through the body. And finally, we breathe it in, which allows the scent to enter our blood ciruclatory system.

10…. Some oils can be very costly for just a few milliliters. If I understood my teacher correctly, certain rose oils are processed by collecting the petals by hand in the early morning before the sun hits them and transported to a factory where again they undergo a special treatment. The tiny bottle she had cost around three hundred dollars.

11…. Don’t underestimate the power of smell. If you don’t like the smell, it doesn’t matter what the purpose of the oil is. Chances are it won’t work except to give you a headache. As we passed various oils around certain smells really turned off or attracted different people. I chose lavendar for my insect repellant, but some of the women couldn’t take the smell. The choice in the recipe was for lavendar or geranium. I took one whiff of geranium and gagged.

12…. I’m looking forward to making some kind of room spray or deodorizer that supposedly makes everyone relax when they enter the house. I also want to make a spray that wakes up my kids in the morning. The idea of zapping them in the face at breakfast to get them moving to get ready for school brings a smile to my face.

13…. With the summer holidays, our next class won’t be till September. We’re making bath salts then. Can’t wait.