Aromatherapy: Schools of Thought

July 23, 2008 – 6:52 pm

There are different aromatherapy schools of thought and which school you follow will determine what type of benefits you receive. Some schools focus on aroma and others focus on therapy. The practical applications you incorporate into your use of essential oils depend on several factors: the training available to you, the resources available to you, and the quality of the essential oils you use.

The German School

The German school of thought emphasizes inhalation of essential oils as the best way to receive the benefits of aromatherapy. This practice falls into the same category as approaching health through psychology, a German created methodology for wellness using a sensory-perception system.

When essential oils are inhaled they go directly to the brain through the limbic system. This is the one of the senses that is not mediated through other bodily systems before reaching the brain. Our sense of smell is a direct pathway to the brain where our emotions are stored.

We know how powerful this sense can be. When you smell a fresh baked pie it may bring you back to a time when your mother or grandmother used to have a nice pie waiting for you. Or the smell of fresh baked cookies can take you back to a simpler time, when you were young and carefree. Smell can also evoke strong dislikes and even anger.

Using our sense of smell when diffusing essential oils into the air can be a powerful way to open up emotions stored in the brain, bring healing vapors into our lungs, and evoke relaxation through the numerous properties of essential oils.

The English (or British) School

This school of thought allows for using essential oils when they are diluted with a carrier oil (a fatty oil such as sweet almond oil). An essential oil would never be used undiluted directly on the skin except for on some occasions lavender and tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia). This dilution of 1% - 5% essential oil to 95% - 99% carrier oil is to be massaged into the skin.

The sought after outcome of this method of application is to reduce muscle aches, invoke relaxation, treat skin disorders such as excema, and create a pleasant massage experience.

The grade of essential oil is not as important as the dilution restrictions are.

The French School

This school of thought focuses on utilizing essential oils by taking them internally via a capsule, directly on the tongue or in tinctures.

In practice, the French school allows for the use of essential oils directly on the skin (neat), through inhalation, massaged into the skin with a carrier oil, and taken internally either through the mouth or other body orifices.

Essential oils used with the French model must be therapeutic grade , as they are going to be taken internally and applied directly on the skin with the intended outcome of a therapeutic, healing benefit.

 The school of thought that I follow is the French model and this is the perspective that I will be writing from.  Please feel free to comment and ask questions.  If there are some topics in aromatherapy you would like to see covered here, please let me know.

Love & Light,

 Maria