Happy Father’s Day - June 17th!

The use of plant essences for inhalation and application is, as they say, "older than the hills." Literally thousands of years ago, some say 7000 years while others say only 4000 years, there has been evidence of trade in fragrant resins and oils. The Chinese civilization appears to be the first to record the use of specific fragrances being used to effect specific results. Early civilizations used these resins and oils mainly in the form of incense to honor their deities. But there are papyrus manuscripts from the era of the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu (circa 2700 BC) which indicate the resins were also employed in healing salves. African nations used fragrant oils to protect their skin from the environment, while Mediterranean peoples used them before athletic competitions.

Some of the earliest mentioned oils and resins we are familiar with today are derived from study of ancient documents. These include myrrh, cedarwood, and cypress. Trade routes were established before 1700 BC to move quantities of valuable spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and fragrant oils from their points of origin to markets throughout the populated world of the Middle East. Three hundred years later routes were discovered which allowed transport of the fragrant oils into the region currently defined as Europe.

The Greeks and Romans regularly employed herbs and oils to freshen their environments. By the time of Christ, the use of resin and oil had risen phenomenally within the Roman population - to the tune of thousands of tons of two well-known resins; frankincense and myrrh. Many passages in the Bible detail the use of specific oils, which even in those days were valuable and valued.

Distillation of the fragrant plants turned out to be the best means of extracting the essential oils for use. Avicenna of Persia is credited with the discovery of this process approximately 1000 AD. The Chinese and Japanese also perfected distillation procedures and fragrance was an important part of their day to day lives. The Japanese taught a special school on the art of perfumery and ritual, known as kodo.

Middle Ages people grew herbs in order to strew their floors with the sweet smelling plants. This was believed to keep the air fresher and sweeter before people made a habit of bathing often. It was also discovered that some of the oils and plants protected the occupants of the dwellings from disease.

Sixteenth and 17th century Europe (especially France) made the use of fragrance and perfumes an art form in Europe. More oils were distilled from a more diverse selection of plants, adding to the fragrant oils available for use in remedies and in blending for perfumes. And to his surprise, Columbus discovered that not only was the New World a treasury of new plants, but that the natives of that world were skilled in the use of the fragrant oils derived from these plants. The Aztecs, the Mayans, and the North American natives all used fragrant plants, oils, and unguents as part of healing and ritual.