Oils and scents contain curative properties

Oils and scants contain curative properties : Review
MIL/Review, Aug 25, 2006. Dr. Raj Baldev



New Delhi, August 25, 2006 - Even though allopathic systems or English systems are universally accepted with pace of time, there are still certain parts and regions where alternative medicines enjoy an equal status and enjoy successful reputation.

Even in India, all hospitals are using other systems of medicines like ayurveda, homeopathy, unanis among others. There is also a therapy of oils and scents, which have curative properties and the knowledgeable people use them accordingly.

In this connection, Nitin Raj asks questions from Leesburg, U.S. and Dr. Raj Baldev answers from New Delhi, India for the general benefit of the people in the form of a review.

Nitin Raj : Physicians have recently discovered and confirm that the essential oils and scents have great many curative properties?

Dr. Raj Baldev: You are right. The ancient Indian therapeutic always-used essential oils and scents while practicing natural medicines. Even today most of them use them freely.

Nitin Raj: How do you justify that oils and scants are natural medicines or uses?
Dr. Raj Baldev : You can take the example of your temple, kitchen or bathroom or any other place of dumping garbage or dirty place. You will feel some sort of either fragrance or foul smell over there.

Wherever scent penetrates its surrounding, it makes the environment pleasing and enjoyable during the visit.

If you visit your kitchen or bathroom or any other place, you can feel the fragrance or foul smell. Where there is fragrance, the atmosphere shall give a fresh and positive feeling.

Whether it is kitchen or bathroom, they have aroma that affects you in many ways, it enters your body mainly through nose and eyes. If you sit in the smoking atmosphere and if you are a non-smoker, it shall affect you health wise even as a non-smoker.

On opening the fridge you can find a strong sense of something inviting you to eat it because the items placed therein have stink of fragrance and taste of their freshness.

Similarly when something is being cooked in the kitchen, it shall enter your body through nose and eyes when enter there. Likewise, certain salts affect you while in the bathroom; they also enter your body through nose and eyes.

Aromas are always added to Incense or Aggarbatti, candles, lotions, soaps, and massaging oils. We are so much used to that most of the time that we don't realize its effect.

Nitin Raj: What extra usefulness the aromas carry?

Dr. Raj Baldev : Indians & Yogies mostly use the fragrance or perfume because they believe that it attracts Gods & Goddess. They have also found that they help in awakening Kundalini Shakti or the Divine Energy leading to bliss & health.
The scents, in fact, attract even spirits and ghosts. Religious devotees of certain sects use the fragrance on the graveyards of their saints and even the monks use it in the temple to please their idols.

Scents of Sandalwood are mostly used by Indians in Pooja as Tilak or in massage and lighting small dias. Essential oils are aromatic essences extracted from trees, plants, fruits, flowers, grass, bark, seeds etc.

Nitin Raj : What is the background of aromatherapy or aroma?

Dr. Raj Baldev: The first form of aromatherapy was used in different kinds of burning woods, and the use of its smoke in the form of incense to sooth one's feeling, please or provoke one to boil one's blood. In short, such scents incite the person.
This has been in practice in many cultures in the past and it is still continuing in most of the present culture. It shall be right to say that the use of scent has always stayed, irrespective of any change in any culture.

Nitin Raj: It is said that different cultures always used aromatics freely without any restrictions?

Dr. Raj Baldev: The Indians & Egyptians have been using aromatics for the last over 5,000 years for various purposes like making medicines, cosmetics for males and females and also used them for preserving the Mummies.

The Greeks used olive oil to absorb the stink from flower petals and herbs.
Physicians from the Arab land improved the method of distilling essential oils and succeeded in bringing them to European countries.
The women of the household made all kinds of remedies for home use since time immemorial, and the home treatment is considered successful in many minor ailments even today.

Nitin Raj: It is said that new sciences of chemistry and pharmacology discouraged the use of aromatherapy and termed as superstition. What would you like to say?

Dr. Raj Baldev: It happened till the beginning of the 20th century to some extent, the people were, of course, discouraged and they reduced their interest in using oils and scents for a certain period.

Meantime, the French chemists made a research that all essential oils and scents have healing properties. Thereafter the period rolled back. Most of the cultures restored their confidence in oils and scents as usual.

Nitin Raj: What was the role of Rene Maurice Gattefosse in dermatology?

Dr. Raj Baldev: Rene Maurice Gattefosse, drew the attention of the world to the use of oils in dermatology after he discovered how lavender oil healed his burned hand. He gave the word "aromatherapy" in 1928 and published a book by the same title in 1937.

Nitin Raj: What would you say about India and China and their systems like Vaidyas, ayurvedic ?

Dr. Raj Baldev: India and China did not break their cultures in any of their old systems of medicines like ayurvedic and chinese medicines. Unan also did not chane their Unani system of medicine and that is still in use as usual.

The Indians, Chinese and Unanies used dried and fresh herbs, floral waters and aromatherapy for oil massaging of bodies and also cured the sick with such massages. These methods are very effective and the people generally prefer to use them rather than to go for any allopathic system (English system) in some of their health problems.

Indians, Chinese have been sure to believe that all essential oils have unique healing & valuable antiseptic properties despite discouragement from European countries. They were discouraged simply because the Europeans' own commercial interests were involved.

Even in most of the European countries and United States, ayurvedic medicines are used and they at times give tough competition to the allopathic medicines.