Today in England and the United States, aromatherapy is a commonly accepted alternative medicine. In France, it is common to find doctors who practice aromatherapy, pharmacies that sell essential oils and health insurance companies that reimburse for treatments using these approaches. Choices of scents come from berries, bark, flowers, gums, leaves, roots, seeds, spices, wood. Some herbs do not burn like they smell, such as peppermint, which smells quite unpleasant when burned. Generally, essential oils consist of chemical compounds which have hydrogen, carbon and oxygen as their building blocks.
Aromatherapy is a way to improve the quality of life on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.
Aromatherapy is already a part of our lives, although we may not have associated the name with the experience. Everyone has emotional responses, both pleasant and unpleasant, to certain scents. Natural scents keep us connected to the earth sparking memories and emotions. Direct inhalation or diffusion will enhance emotional wellness, calm, relax or rejuvenate. Pleasurable scents unlock odor memories, trigger our emotions and release stress.