Aromatherapy is the art of working with essential oils from plants and flowers.
Please do not confuse oil with aromatherapy. Essential oils are not oily; they are more like plant blood or plant fluid. The oils are live as opposed to dried herbs and they have many special properties.
Aromatherapy works through our olfactory sensors (smell) and can help to adjust our mental state. Have you ever taken a walk and had a smell remind you of a past experience? You suddenly feel elated or sad? That is your olfactory sense working.
Essential oils also penetrate the skin and are in the blood stream within 20 minutes. They are used for healing a wide range of skin conditions as well as healing for body, mind and spirit.
My favorite Aromatherapy teacher is Kurt Schnaubelt, director of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy in San Rafael, Ca. He is an expert in Aromatherapy and has several books printed.
For some easy reading regarding aromatherapy, The Art of Aromatherapy by Robert Tisserand.