Nearly 30 percent of prescription medications in the U.S. are based on naturally occurring compounds found in plants.
by Jerri Johnson —
Essential oils and their uses have often been referred to as a New Age therapy, when in actuality they are one of the oldest and most effective therapies known to man. Medicinal use of essential oils dates back nearly 8,000 years to the ancient Egyptians. Use of essential oils in the treatment of disease, illnesses and spiritual practices is evidenced in many ancient texts, including the Bible.
In fact, essential oils and/or the plants that produced them are mentioned in the Bible more than 500 times. The wise men brought gifts of frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child after his birth, and Mary and Joseph used the oils to keep themselves and the Baby Jesus healthy.
Trace amounts of essential oils were still detectable in the empty alabaster jars discovered in King Tut’s tomb. Because oils were priceless during those times, tomb robbers stole the oils contained in the jars but left the king’s gold, jewels and artifacts.
Ancient peoples relied solely on their intuition about how best to use essential oils, but with the advancement of science we are now able to analyze and understand the healing power of the oils and why, in some cases, they are more effective than antibiotics to successfully treat many diseases.
Essential oils made a comeback during World War I when aromatic essences were used in many civilian and military hospitals. A French physician, Dr. Monciere, used essential oils for their antibacterial properties and wound-healing abilities.
In 1910, a French chemist by the name of Rene-Maurice Gattefosse suffered severe burns on his hands in a laboratory explosion. After extinguishing the fire, his hands immediately showed signs of gangrene. He immersed them in a bucket of lavender oil. The spread of the infection stopped at once, and by the next day the healing had begun.
In 1940, Gattefosse and a French physician, Jean Valnet, began researching and documenting the healing effects of essential oils and led the resurgence of their use. As a physician during World War II, having exhausted his antibiotic supply, Valnet used therapeutic essential oils to treat soldiers suffering from battlefield wounds.
In 1989, researchers realized the profound effect aroma has on the release of emotional traumas stored in the limbic area of the brain where the amygdala is located. There are now more than 4,000 articles housed in the National Library of Medicine regarding the power of essential oils.
Nearly 30 percent of prescription medications in the United States are based on naturally occurring compounds found in plants. Each day, more is learned about the effectiveness and power of medicinal-grade essential oils and their use in the healing of people on a mental, physical and spiritual level.
References:
D. Gary Young, Essential Oils Desk Reference
David Stewart, Healing Oils of the Bible
Jerri Johnson, an independent distributor of Young Living Essential Oils, is obtained her degree as a mind-body wellness practitioner from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. She specializes in hypnotherapy, life coaching and polarity. 602-369-1247 or oilessentials@cox.net.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 27, Number 2, April/May 2008.
July 31, 2012
Essential oils, Health, Inflammation