Aromatherapy oils are used in alternative medicine that uses essential oils that come from plants which easily vaporise in the air. The oil is "essential" in that it contains a scent and are obtained from plants by distillation. The most popular plants used for creating essences for use in aromatherapy are lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus.
It is claimed that certain smells that come with essential oils are beneficial to the health for example Ylang Ylang is known to help reduce blood pressure. The distillation process can take a long time with Ylang Ylang requiring a full day to distill. Other plants are required in large quantities to produce a small amount of essential oil. For example an ounce of rose oil requires many pounds of petals.
Aromatherapy is used to improve both health and mood through smells and is therefore relatively safe compared to modern medicines, however, the oils must not be applied directly to the skin in an undiluted form because its high concentration can cause skin irritation, for example citrus peel oils can cause the skin to become more easily sunburnt.
Aromatherapy is part of the national pharmacopoeia of some countries and is used to control infections, fungal growth, and as an antiviral or antiseptic in the mainstream medical profession. In France, essential oils are prescribed by a doctor where the doctor uses an "aromatogram" to decide which essential oil to use.
Although not mainstream practice in the NHS, aromatherapy is available from a wide range of health stores in the UK.
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