The Bollocks Page: Books

11. Buchbauer G., Jäger W., Jirovetz L., Imberger J., Dietrich H. (1993) "Therapeutic Properties of Essential Oils and Fragrances" from "Bioactive Volatile Compounds from Plants" ed by R. Teranishi, R. Buttery, and H. Sugisawa.

On page 161 we find, set out in bold:

"Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of fragrances or at least of mere volatiles to cure or to mitigate or to prevent diseases, infections, and indisposition’s only by means of inhalation."

"Aromatherapy is not the application of medication as aerosols, incorporation by ways other than inhalation, such as massage or any cosmetic treatment, combination with cosmic, magnetic, astrological or anthroposophic phenomena".

Comment

Professor Buchbauer would appear to be at odds with professional aromatherapists the world over, when he suggests that aromatherapy can cure or prevent disease – this is a medical claim, which in reality no professional aromatherapist would make, as it probably would probably not bear cross- examination by the responsible Medical Authorities.

Instead aromatherapists, working as they do in the field of complementary alternative medicine, are more likely to say that the inhalation and application of pure natural essential oils may assist or help restore health and well-being.

Further sweeping statements about what aromatherapy is not (2^nd quote above) are probably completely personal only to Professor Buchbauer. Whilst the jury may still be out on any therapeutic benefit derived from skin absorption of essential oils or their components during massage, aromatherapy is more than the mere inhalation of natural fragrance. It is much more a holistic treatment in which the therapist-client relationship as a whole must be considered. It is not therefore appropriately reproduced on a laboratory bench by scientists and volunteers.

As a final comment to Buchbauers 2^nd statement, although scientists are not necessarily noted for their spiritual tendencies, it might be appropriate to note the practice of aromatherapy does not actually exclude the basic human right to alternative beliefs. It would be churlish to deny that Spiritual Aromatherapy does not exist; it may not be scientifically credible, or part of the image that the professional aromatherapy organisations wish to project to the public, but it is not actually illegal in most countries, as practiced.

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