Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses extracted and condensed volatile plant materials, known as Essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person’s mood, thinking or health. Aromas or scents can affect both people’s psychological and physical well-being.
Flowers have a natural fragrance or scent to attract insects, birds and animals to pollinate the flowers or in some cases to warn away animals that may damage them. Various parts of a plant are used to make Essential oils, for example lavender essential oil is produced by distilling the plant’s flowering tops; citrus oils are expressed (or squeezed) from the rind of the fruit; and sandalwood is distilled from the wood of the tree. Other essential oils are extracted from the leaves, seeds, roots or resin of a plant.
Essential oils have been found to be therapeutic or act as a complementary therapy to modern medicine in the treatment of a variety of conditions such as; mood disorders, reproductive issues, respiratory conditions, digestive disorders, aches and pains including arthritis.
Essential oils are usually liquid at room temperature and will evaporate on contact with air. In spite of their name, essential oils are non-oily, soluble in fats, such as carrier oils, but will not readily dissolve in water. Pure essential oils can be up to 70 times more concentrated than the original plant and absorption into the bloodstream commences within a fraction of a second of application. They are strong chemicals and therefore should be used sparingly and with care. Pure essential oils should not be confused with fragrance oils which have no therapeutic value as such but do give a sense of well-being when the scent is inhaled.
Our florists include fragrant blooms in our bouquets and flower arrangements to give the added pleasure of sweet scent to the receiver and we are sure they have mood altering qualities, even in their natural form, and will put a smile on your face. Among many other blooms Carnations, Roses and Oriental Lily have a very pleasant fragrance!
