Aromatherapy is a holistic healing approach that uses naturally extracted essential oils from plants to promote health and well-being, both physical and mental. Essential oils are natural extracts that are rich in volatile aromatic compounds with various therapeutic effects. With the advancement of research technology and techniques, there are increasing evidences of health benefits from the use of essential oils to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body and mind.
Essential oils consist of a range of aromatic compounds, also known as constituents, found in plants. The major aromatic chemical constituents of essential oils are monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Essential oils also have different molecular groups known as alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, alkanes, alkenes, esters, ethers, oxides, and phenylpropenes. The different combinations of these natural chemical profile of essential oils provide a wide range of health benefits, when they are properly applied through the sense of smell and skin absorption.
芳香疗法是运用天然提取的植物精油作为促进身心健康和谐的一门自然疗法。精油是含有挥发性芳香化合物和各种调理功效的天然提取物。随着现代研究科技和技术的进步，更多的证据显示，使用精油可以给健康带来益处，促进和维持身心健康的平衡与和谐。
精油含有一系列来自植物的芳香化合物，也被称为化学成分。精油里主要的芳香化学成分为单萜烯（monoterpenes）和倍半萜烯（sesquiterpenes）。精油也含有不同的分子群如醇类（alcohols）、酚类（phenols）、醛类（aldhehydes）、酮类（ketones）、烷烃类(alkanes）、烯类（alkenes）、酯类（esters）、醚类（ethers）、氧化物（oxides），和苯丙类（phenylpropenes）。以适当的方法，通过嗅吸和皮肤吸收，这些含有不同天然化学成分组合的精油可以给健康带来不同的益处。
Benefits of Aromatherapy 芳疗的功效
Aromatherapy is a practice of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (“T&CM”), which is a form of health-related practice designed to prevent and manage the mental and physical well-being of an individual. Aromatherapy has an array of benefits, including:
- Pain management for joints and muscles, headaches and migraines
- Improvement in sleep quality
- Relieving stress, agitation, and anxiety
- Relieving side effects and discomforts of chemotherapy
- Relieving discomforts of labor
- Relieving discomforts of various bacteria, virus, or fungus infections
- Relieving various symptoms of digestion issues
- Improve hospice and palliative care
- Supporting immunity
The objective of T&CM is to promote safe and effective use of complementary / adjunct treatment modalities for managing chronic health disorders and non-communicable diseases. Practitioners of aromatherapy, being one of the T&CM modalities, would encourage their patients to actively undertake dietary and lifestyle modifications besides seeking adjunct or supportive treatment to complement allopathic doctors.
芳疗属于传统与辅助医学，是一门以预防健康问题和管理个人身心健康为目标的养生方法。芳疗的功效有很多，包括：
- 关节和肌肉疼痛、头痛和偏头痛的管理
- 睡眠质量的改善
- 舒缓压力、烦乱的情绪和焦虑
- 舒缓化疗的副作用与不适
- 舒缓生产的不适
- 缓解各种细菌、病毒或真菌感染的不适
- 缓解各种消化问题的症状
- 改善临终和安宁护疗
- 支持免疫力
传统和辅助医学的目的是推广安全和有效的辅助疗法领域作为长期健康问题和非传染性疾病管理的方案。芳疗是其中一门传统与辅助医学的领域。芳疗从业者鼓励客户寻求辅助或支持性治疗以外，也积极地改善饮食和生活习惯，以配合医生的治疗。
How does aromatherapy treatment work?
芳疗发挥其效果？
Aromatherapy works through the application of pure essential oils using the sense of smell and skin absorption with these methods:
芳香疗法是运用纯精油，通过以下嗅吸和皮肤吸收的方法，获得调理的效果：
The use of aromatic plant components in resins, balms, and oils is part of the ancient cultures in China, India, Egypt, Greek, and elsewhere, for over 3000 years. These natural substances were used for medical and religious purposes. They were known to have both physical and psychological benefits.
Essential oils distillation is attributed to the Persians in the 10th century, although the practice may have started a long time before this.
Information about essential oil distillation was published in the 16th century in Germany. French physicians in the 19th century recognized the potential of essential oils in treating disease.
Medical doctors became more established in the 19th century and focused on using chemical drugs. However, the French and German doctors still recognized the role of natural botanicals in treating illness.
The term “aromatherapy” was coined by a French perfumer and chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé in a book he wrote on the topic that was published in 1937. He had previously discovered the healing potential of lavender essential oil in treating burns. The book discusses the use of essential oils in treating medical conditions.
在中国、印度、埃及、希腊等其它的古文明，人们以树脂、油膏和油脂的方法使用芳香植物成分有超过三千年的历史。这些天然物质也被用于治疗和宗教的用途，提供生理和心理方面的益处。
虽然精油的提取早在很久以前已经开始了，但是精油蒸馏法的发现归功于十世纪的波斯人。
在十六世纪的德国，有关于精油提取的信息被发表。在十九世纪，法国的医生认可精油用于治疗疾病的可能性。
在十九世纪，出现了更多的医学博士，也更专注于化学药物的使用。然而，法国和德国的医生仍然认可天然的植物性药物用于疾病的治疗。
一位法国调香师和化学师——盖特佛赛（René-Maurice Gattefossé）于1937年在他的著作里首创“芳香疗法”（Aromatherapy）这个术语。在这之前，他发现了薰衣草精油的调理效果，可用于治疗烫伤的可能性。他在著作里探讨精油使用于各种身体状况的治疗
The practice of aromatherapy has increasing evidences from scientific research with its effects on health benefits substantiated. Many research institutions worldwide have conducted aromatherapy and essential oils research and published their articles in scientific journals.
Several online databases for the published articles include:
- Aromatic Science
- Biomed Central
- BMJ
- Cochrance Collaboration
- DynaMed
- Fimed – The Prince of Wale’s Foundation of Integrated Health
- Knowledgeshare
- Medscape
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- PubMed
- Research Council for Complementary Medicine
- TRIP (Turning Research into Practice)
- University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
- University of Maryland School of Medicine
芳疗的效果已获得更多科学研究证据证实。许多国际研究机构已针对芳疗和精油进行研究，并在科学期刊发布他们的研究成果。
收录已发表文章的线上资料库包括：
- Aromatic Science
- Biomed Central
- BMJ
- Cochrance Collaboration
- DynaMed
- Fimed – The Prince of Wale’s Foundation of Integrated Health
- Knowledgeshare
- Medscape
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- PubMed
- Research Council for Complementary Medicine
- TRIP (Turning Research into Practice)
- University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
- University of Maryland School of Medicine