Aromatherapy is a modern term for a healing art that is ages old.
Gattefosse encountered the healing properties of lavender when he plunged his arm into a vat of lavender oil. The lavender not only reduced his pain - through several repeated applications his arm healed with no scarring. The rest is history, as they say. The influence of research by Gattefosse and others in France spawned a ripple effect and today essential oils are used in conjunction with mainstream medicine in France. Worldwide essential oil production is now booming as more of us choose to experience the healing effects of aromatic plants and flowers.