On the last blog, we talked about the history of aromatherapy in the ancient times. There was also the very interesting tale of how Thieves blend was discovered. In continuation of this blog series, we’re going to talk about aromatherapy in the modern times, the difference between the French and English doctors’ approach to aromatherapy, and the leading aromatherapists in the modern era and their valuable contribution to how we do aromatherapy today.
The history of the development of aromatherapy is romantic in the sense that the process of distillation originated in the East (Egypt and India) and these methods were pushed to its highest potential in the West. In other words, it has been an unintentional collaboration by different ancient civilizations.
Although the term aromatherapy was not coined until the late 1920s, we have been utilizing the amazing benefits of essential oils in the form of medicine, therapy, and cosmetics for thousands of years.
One of the most famous pioneers of Aromatherapy is French chemist Réné Maurice Gattefossé. We talked about him on our last blog wherein he accidentally discovered the astounding healing properties of Lavender Essential Oil. Since then, he dedicated his life to finding therapeutic plants and herbs that can be processed into essential oils. He published his book in 1937 entitled Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Végétales (Aromatherapy: Essential Oils, Vegetal Hormones) later translated into English as Gattefossé’s Aromatherapy that is still in print today.
The search continued in earnest, mostly in Europe, with a great deal of attention paid to essential oils that can be applied to culinary and perfumery. In the US, production of Turpentine and Peppermint oils began to appear. They later added citrus peels, Birch, and Wintergreen to the oils they are producing. The vast pine forests in the US seemed to have an endless supply of these raw ingredients.
Other notable aromatherapists who helped lay the foundation for modern practice are Dr. Jean Valnet, a French military doctor who used essential oils during World War II to treat some of the injured soldiers. He was one of the architects of the development of the French branch of aromatherapy, called phyto-aromatherapy.
The French biochemist, Madame Marguerite Maury was also one of the most influential aromatherapists of the 20th century. She is the founder of Modern or true aromatherapy - the use of essential oils for the promotion of holistic well-being. She brought aromatherapy to the world of cosmetics and developed their use in massage. While living in France, she and her husband explored homeopathy, naturopathy, osteopathy and radiesthesia. They formed a remarkable team working, researching, and writing books together. It was at this time that Marguerite developed her research work to demonstrate and prove the effects of essential oils on the nervous system, their influence on the well-being of people.
In recent years, more and more aromatherapists have dedicated their life to research and spread information about essential oils. One is Robert Tisserand, who is founder of the Tisserand Institute, the leading organization of research and education in the art and practice of aromatherapy. He is also recognized as the author of The Art of Aromatherapy, the first aromatherapy book published in English in 1977, as well as being co-contributor to Essential Oil Safety with Rodney Young.
Heavily influenced by Madame Maury, Micheline Arcier became an early advocate of holistic well-being. She developed products and signature aromatherapy massage techniques. Madame Arcier was one of the very few people that were personally trained by Madame Maury. The success of this approach, and her own endless enthusiasm for further evolution, saw her develop a highly-regarded private practice and clinic in Knightsbridge, London.
Difference between French and English Aromatherapy
There are technically three known models in Aromatherapy that exist; English, French, and German. But we're going to talk about the English and French model in this blog as these models are the most common and have been around for the longest time.
The French Model is the oldest and widely used form of aromatherapy. It is based more on the concept of infectious disease or other biomedical concepts of disease. They use both external and internal applications of essential oils for their treatment strategy. This model uses undiluted oils for topical application, as well as internally with cooking, in tea, in a gel capsule, or added to agave nectar, yacon, honey, or olive oil.
The main difference between the French and English model is that the English model would often dilute small amounts of essential oil. They would dilute it with carrier oil for massage and relaxation techniques. Typically only 1-5% essential oil is dissolved in a fatty base oil and because of this has an expiration date, or shelf life. Because the fatty oil can go rancid British aromatherapists recommend replacing your essential oils every 6 months.