Essential Oils

Essential Oil Has A Long History

Essential oils have been used throughout history for many purposes. They have been known since ancient times to have healing and therapeutic values. Even as far back as the ancient Romans and Greeks, essential oils have had an important role in the history of mankind. Even the Bible has many references to essential oils.

The Way Back Machine: The History Of Essential Oil

The history of essential oil reaches back throughout time to the period of ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. In fact, it reaches throughout the Middle and Far East as well. The common feature here is the essence of the plant. These plants had to have an identifiable aroma, flavor or other characteristic that people found to be of practical use.

Throughout the history of essential oil these essential oils were used as perfume, food flavoring, deodorant, a pharmaceutical or as an embalming antiseptic. In order to create these things, plant material had to be steeped in a fatty oil or wine, which acted as a solvent to establish the desired flavor or aroma that these people wanted to have.

The Brief Timeline Of Essential Oil

Historically, the impure and diluted extracts of essential oils were oftentimes used as oils or creams. These items were introduced into Europe. However, the history of essential oil ended there for a while. That is, until specialized craftsmen started to produce these essential oils again. This happened in the 12th century when the English Guild of Pepperers and the French court perfumers began working with essential oils. In the 1300's, Spain and France began distilling essential oils so that more concentrated essences of the oils could be extracted. Over time, the distillation process was improved upon. Then, in 1430 the first publication about essential oils was written, entitled "The Book of Nurture."

By 1550 there were some specific trends in essential oil usage. First, France was producing spiked lavender oil, which was used as a trading commodity. Secondly, flavors and aromas were being expressed from an increasing number of new sources. Third, pharmacists, chemists, and physicians began studying the physical, chemical and medicinal properties of these oils.

Essential Oils Today

There are now numerous essential oils and products available today. In fact, there are both international markets and industries that only deal with essential oils. This is all thanks to the technology of the 20th century. The technology allows chemicals to be separated and used as a building block to introduce particular flavors and aromas into a product.

Since ancient times, people have realized the importance and healing powers of essential oils. Only recently, have they become more popular again as people look for more natural and organic ways to heal themselves. Most essential oils have little or no side-effects so they have become a good choice for those looking for a remedy for their health problems.