Fragrance and Medicine—Medical Aromatherapy

Abstract

Aromatherapy, which utilizes actively the effects of fragrance, is a complementary and alternative medicine for the purpose of the prevention and treatment of diseases and clinical symptoms using essential oils. Essential oils, which are extracted by distillation, expression and so on, include various molecules. Because essential oils possess various kinds of pharmacological activities, including anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-depressant, anxiolytic and relaxation-inducing activities, aromatherapy is very useful in the treatment of various gynecological diseases, skin diseases, upper respiratory illness, psychosomatic diseases, and in pain control and stress management. In aromatherapy, various methods are employed, e.g., aromatic bathing, massage, inhalation and application to skin or mucosal membranes. Aromatherapy massage is the most effective in the induction of relaxation. Because aromatherapy is complementary, an ideal medicine could be realized in combination of it with modern medicine and other complementary therapies.