The aromatherapy is an application of the herbal medicine therapy, because it uses essential oils extracted from plants. The organs of the plants from which we can obtain essential oils are : leaves, flowers, petals, bark, wood, seeds, pericarps and roots. Usually the oils are extracted through the steam flow distillation and in some cases, such as the epicarp of Citrus geneus, is used the cold squeezing. The essential oils obtained by dissolving resins and oleoresins with alcohols, are called resinoids, while the aromatic substances extracted with organic solvents or supercritical fluids, are not considered essential oils. In all cultures, the aromatic plants were important for their organoleptic characteristics, which initially favoured the recognition and subsequently the characterization.
The effects of the essential oils, in according to the type of oil used, can be the following:
antibiotic effect ( virostatic, bactericide, fungicide )
effect on the central and peripheral nervous system
antispasmodic effect
expectorant balm effect
anti-inflammatory effect
carminative effect
insect repellent effect
Essential oils are very powerful substances and should be used always diluited and under supervision of trained people.
The main applications of essential oils are in teatment of :
infections of the skin and mucous membranes
gastrointestinal infections
catarrhal infections and disorders of the respiratory tract
spasms of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle
bloating
dyspepsia iposecretoria
rheumatic disorders and arthritis
modulation of mood
General contraindications :
Pregnancy, children under 3 years old, allergic, epileptics, severe disease and kidney failure.
