Aromatherapy is not included in the arsenal of modern medicine, its destiny - beauty salons, massage rooms. Nevertheless, scientists are trying to understand how the smell affects the behavior, mood, human physiology.

Vegetable essential oils in Ancient China were burned for fumigation of premises, the Egyptians were added to solutions for embalming the dead, the Romans took with them to the thermae. But science has taken up this relatively recently. The term "aromatherapy" was introduced in the 1920s by the French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse (Rene-Maurice Gattefosse).

In plants, of course, there are useful substances. For example, the willow bark was chewed from time to time to treat inflammation, and then it was found acetylsalicylic acid, now known as aspirin. But it is one thing to take medicine in tablets, and quite another to inhale. How to confirm that the smell has a therapeutic effect? What is the physical mechanism of impact? In aromatherapy give only subjective descriptions that can not be verified. For example, it is reported that the smell of rosemary clears the mind and improves memory, lavender calms and relieves stress, anxiety, depression, cures insomnia. Juniper oil generally counted 17 beneficial effects: from aphrodisiac to sedative.

The Science of Flavors Since the 1980s, a new scientific direction has been developing - aromaticology, that is, studying how smells affect physiology, health. In 2007, American scientists analyzed all articles that published data on the therapeutic effects of odors. Only 18 of them were recognized as accessible for scientific analysis, and even with certain reservations. It is difficult to conduct such studies because they have a lot of subjective, it is not clear how the experimental procedure affects the result, and, most importantly, it is not known what is the mechanism of the odor effect on the body.

Perhaps the molecules of the fragrant substance directly affect the olfactory neurons and then to the brain or the endocrine system. Either chemical substances penetrate the blood through the nose or lung mucosa and then spread throughout the body. This is confirmed by experiments on rodents, in which molecules found in inhaled essential oils. In other experiments, rats calmed down, inhaling the cedrol - a component of cedar, although they had an impaired sense of smell. Of course, treatment with smells would be convenient, because the effect after inhalation is instant, and the dose of the substance is required significantly less than when taking tablets. But in order to develop scientifically based aromatherapy, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of the action of the smell, and before that it is far.

Interesting results were given by experiments of scientists from Austria with linalool, the main component of lavender oil. When it was applied to the skin of the participants in the experiment, their systolic blood pressure (upper). This can be regarded as an analogue of massage, but to recognize the therapeutic effect of essential oil is hampered by the fact that the massage itself calms, relieves stress.

Smells of lavender and mint improve the memory of schoolchildren aged 10-11 years. Analysis of the saliva of participants before and after the experiment showed that inhaling mint leaves the hormone level of cortisol that regulates stress. Since it is known from other works that a high level of cortisol in the body weakens memory, it means, scientists conclude, peppermint relieves stress.

All the observed effects can be explained differently - through psychological impact. That is, a person reacts to the smell according to his experience and expectations, and also through training. In favor of this hypothesis is that people experience emotions, change their behavior according to whether the smell is pleasant or not. For example, visitors to a supermarket, in which a pleasant smell, are more inclined to help other buyers. Employees of companies also work better, set themselves higher goals, if the room smells nice.

Another factor - pre-formed views. When 90 students were informed that a pleasant smell in the room relaxes, they actually lost heartbeat and conduction of the skin, although only lavender and neroli oil from the oranges were sprayed. All the students noted that they had a better mood. The same thing they said, having been in a room with a placebo, that is, with odorless stuff.

Supporters of the psychological hypothesis believe that the chemical nature of the smell is secondary, the main thing is the psychological effect. To some extent, this is evidenced by cultural, individual and even gender differences in the perception of odors. For example, in men who walked for three consecutive days in the forest, the level of adrenaline hormone. There is also evidence that aromatherapy relieves depression. In general, while the psychological hypothesis of aromatherapy is better confirmed by experiments.

Regardless of whether scientific aromatherapy is or not, do not forget that the components of essential oils can cause allergies, especially with prolonged exposure.

Source: News Yu.

Keywords:.