An
Introduction to Young Living Essential Oils Part 5
The History of Essential Oils
Ancient History
Some say essential
oils were first used in China or India, but my research indicates that
the Egyptians were first to discover the therapeutic potential of essential
oils. The Egyptians created fragrances for personal use as well as for
ritualistic and ceremonial use in temples and pyramids. According to the
earliest historical records available, they used balsamic substances with
aromatic properties for medicines. Egyptian high priests used fragrances
to open their subconscious mind and increase their ability to communicate
with the spirit world.
Translations of ancient
Egyptian hieroglyphics and Chinese manuscripts describe how priests and
physicians used essential oils thousands of years before the time of Christ.
The precious oils of frankincense,
myrrh, galbanum,
rosemary,
hyssop, cassia,
cinnamon,
and spikenard
were used extensively for anointing and healing the sick. There are over
a hundred references to aromatics in the Bible. Biblical prophets appear
to have recognized that essential oils protected their bodies from disease.
Why did the Wise Men bring the precious substances of frankincense and
myrrh to the Christ child?
In 1817 the
870-foot-long Ebers Papyrus was discovered. Dating back to 1500 B.C.,
it was called a medicinal scroll. It mentioned over 800 herbal prescriptions
and remedies. Other scrolls indicate that the Egyptians had a high success
rate in treating as many as 81 different diseases. Many mixtures they
used contained myrrh oil and honey. Myrrh was used for embalming because
of its effectiveness in preventing bacterial growth.
When King
Tutankhamen's tomb was opened in 1922, some 50 alabaster jars designed
to hold 350 liters of oil were discovered. While tomb robbers had stolen
nearly all of the precious oils, some of the jars still contained remains
of their original contents. The large cache of plundered oil jars documents
how valuable fragrant oils were in this ancient civilization.
Egyptians
and Babylonians believed that, in order to reach a higher spirituality,
they had to be clean and beautiful. They practiced fumigation to disperse
oils, purify the air, and provide protection from evil spirits. They used
the oils for medicinal purposes long before the individual herbs were
studied for medical use.
The Romans
fumigated and diffused oils in their temples and political buildings and
scented their baths with oils followed by a fragrant oil massage.
The ancient
Arabian people began to study the chemical properties of essential oils.
They developed and refined the distillation process. They extracted rose
oil and rose water, which were very popular in the Middle East at that
time. Kings would barter and buy land, gold, and slaves with their crudely
extracted oils. The oils were more valuable than gold.
Europeans
did not produce essential oils until the 12th century. During the Medieval
plague of the 15th century, four thieves in Marseilles, France, were able
to rob the dead and dying without becoming infected. When finally captured,
the men reportedly admitted to creating a concoction that contained 50
cloves and the herb rosemary, along with other aromatics. They rubbed
this potion on their hands, ears, and temples. The secret of the thieves
was made public and the formula was posted in the city.
During the
Dark Ages and after the burning of libraries in Alexandria and other places,
much of this knowledge of essential oils and their uses was lost. Only
through the cosmetic and perfume industry did the valuable science of
aromatherapy begin to resurface.
Modern Rediscoveries
Rene-Maurice
Gattefossé, Ph.D., a French cosmetic chemist, became interested
in essential oils in 1907. He was one of the first modern-day scientists
to research the healing properties of essential oils.
Dr. Gattefossé's
1937 book, Aromatherapy, tells the real story of his use of lavender on
a serious burn. The tale has assumed mythic proportions in essential oil
literature. While the event did not start him on the road to essential
oil research (he was already studying the oils), his own words about this
accident are even more powerful than what has been told over the years.
Dr. Gattefossé
was literally aflame - covered in burning substances - following a laboratory
explosion in July 1910. He extinguished the flames by rolling on a grassy
lawn, but he found that afterward "both my hands were covered with
rapidly developing gas gangrene." Dr. Gattefossé wrote that
"just one rinse with lavender essence stopped 'the gasification of
the tissue.' This treatment was followed by profuse sweating, and healing
began the next day."
Robert B.
Tisserand, editor of the International Journal of Aromatherapy, searched
for Dr. Gattefossé's book for 20 years. A copy was located and
Tisserand edited the 1995 reprint. Tisserand wrote that Dr. Gattefossé's
burns "must have been severe to lead to gas gangrene, a very serious
infection."
Dr. Gattefossé
shared his studies with his colleague and friend, Jean Valnet, a medical
doctor practicing in Paris. Exhausting his supply of antibiotics as a
physician in China during World War II, Dr. Valnet began using therapeutic-grade
essential oils on patients suffering battlefield injuries. He was pleased
to find that they exerted a powerful effect in combating and counteracting
infection. Dr. Valnet was able to save many soldiers who might otherwise
have died.
Two of Dr.
Valnet's students, Dr. Paul Belaiche and Dr. Jean Claude Lapraz, expanded
his work. They discovered antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic
properties in essential oils. They also found the oils to be powerful
at oxygenating and carrying nutrients into the cells.
Each day, modern science
rediscovers another truth from the wisdom of the ancients. Young
Living Essential Oils remains at the forefront of this exciting
research. "We never want to give up our search for truth about health
and healing," states Gary Young. "To seek knowledge and to serve
mankind is our mission - a never-ending cycle of learning and sharing."
Testimonial
I
have been told for years that I have an anatomically short leg. I have
had xrays, chiropractor, massage for over the last twenty years. Actually,
I quit going to the chiropractor for the last 2 years as I was not getting
any relif. I was used to a lot of pain in my hips, lower back and pain
up into my back. In my shoe was an eleven millimeter thick lift, the maximum
I could get. Next, I was to have my shoe built up, one of the things I
never got around to doing.
When
we attended David Stewart's class, David asked if anyone in the room had
a short leg. Two of us did.
David
helped me sit down on a straight chair. He smiled and asked if I was an
"unbeliever." Definitely I was. What could he do that could
help my leg straighten out? He placed his hands around my ankles with
his thumbs coming around to the front of the ankle bone. He lifted both
legs up at the same time. His thumbs on my ankle bones did not line up
with each other at all. My leg was about 1" off, my left leg being
the shorter of the two.
Vitaflex
was first applied to an area on my left shoulder, and then to an area
on my right shoulder. As I understand this Vitaflex technique, the facilitator
applies the Vitaflex first on the shorter side to help the leg lengthen
and then on the side that has the longer leg to help it shorten. (This
is from Stanley Burroughs book Healing for the Age of Enlightenment)
I
admit I was an unbeliever!!! How could a technique so simple do the job
for me? But it did. When David was finished with the Vitaflex, I stood
again, sat again, and behold! My feet measured correctly. I stood and
oh, what a joy to feel the pressure gone from my pelvic area and hips,
far superceeding any chiropractic treatment that I remember. My husband
and I ended up in tears, as did several others in class. David got a big
hug from me. My lift came out of my shoe.
I
had no pain in my hips that night. I could turn in bed without hurting.
The next day some pain was back in both hips and up my back. It felt like
my body was adjusting to the changes. My hip was slightly out by the following
afternoon (about 24 hours later) but after a Raindrop, it was in again.
Pain will visit at times, but it is getting better.
Now,
over two weeks later, I still go "out" once in a while, maybe
once a week. It lasts a little longer each time. When I begin to have
an increase in back/shoulder pain, soreness in the top of my shoulder
and a tightness there, or more hip pain, we check my leg length.
"Time
for another Vitaflex," says my husband. And then we are set for another
week.
Cynthia
This
information is intended for educational purposes only. It is not provided
in order to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any illness or disease of the
human body.
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7 : Part 8 |
Diana
Hooper, Independent Distributor of Young Living Essential Oils Member
#378910
