Aromаtherapy as a part of alternative medicine

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mood, cognitive function or health. The effectiveness of aromatherapy is yet to be scientifically proven, however some evidence exists that essential oils may have therapeutic potential.

The term “aromаtherapy” was proposed by A.A. Kyuntsel’ (1896) but the idea of treatment of some diseases with the help of scents belongs to other Russian scientist V.A. Manassyein (1887).

It is proved that celery scent has a sedative effect and roses petals scent relieves arterial pressure. Camphor and wormwood scents improve brains activity, tone up muscles work. Peppermint and lavender fragrances improve heart activity. Essential oils made from eucalyptus, basil, thyme, bee balm and wormwood remove headaches, especially migraines.

In Ukraine for a long time people have put herbs in pillows and mattresses, especially thyme grass. In the East beds were treated by aromatic fragrances before bedtime. In India under stress and before sleep special sticks made from pressed herbs with sedative scents of lavender and patchouli are burnt.

In the aromatherapy industry the odorous substances of choice are essential oils (oils that are volatile, aromatic, and flammable) from flowers, fruits, grasses, leaves, roots, and wood resins.

Manners of use of essential oils include sniffing, inhales, addition to bathwater, application to the skin (typically with massage) and daily use of herbs as spices in cooking (e.g. cinnamon, carnation, pepper, coriander).

Some physicians state that essential oils have a "spiritual dimension" and can restore "balance" and "harmony" both to one's body and to one's life. One of their principles, the "doctrine of signatures," holds that a plant's visible and olfactory characteristics reveal its "secret" qualities. For example, because the configuration of the violet suggests shyness, aromatherapists hold that its scent engenders calmness and modesty. Some proponents have characterized essential oils as the soul or spirit of plants.

Subtle Aromatherapy is aform of vibrational healing (vibrational medicine) expounded by Patricia Davis in her book of the same name. Subtle Aromatherapy is any use of essential oils with the purported aim of: (a) healing the "physical body" by affecting the "subtle body" ("energetic body"), or (b) contributing to personal and spiritual growth.

 

Active Vocabulary

 

volatile	леткий, летючий, що швидко випаровується
volatile oils	ефірні масла
celery	селера
sedative	заспокійливий, снотворний
bee balm	монарда
odorous substances	пахучі речовини
flammable	вогненебезпечний, легкозаймистий
resin	смола, камедь
spiritual dimension	духовний вимір
olfactory	нюховий
to engender	збуджувати, породжувати, викликати
subtle	тонкий, ніжний (про запах)
to expound	роз'яснювати, тлумачити

 

Tasks

Task 1. Study the following table. Close the right column and translate.

азалія	azalea
аїр	calamus
аніс	anise
апельсин	orange
базилік	basil
бергамот	bergamot
валеріана	valerian
вербена	verbena
ветівер	vetiver
гвоздика	carnation, pink
герань	geranium
гісоп	hyssop
грейпфрут	grapefruit
деревій	milfoil
евкаліпт	eucalyptus
жасмин	jasmine
іланг-іланг (кунанга духм’яна)	ilang-ilang
імбир	ginger
каєпут	cajeput
кардамон	cardamom
кедр	cedar
кипарис	cypress
кориця	cinnamon
коріандр	coriander
кріп	dill
лаванда	lavender
лавр	laurel
ладан	ladanum
ладаник	rockrose
лайм	lime
лимон	lemon
м’ята	peppermint
майоран	marjoram
мандарин	tangerine
материнка	origanum
меліса	melissa
мигдаль	almond
мирра	myrrh
мирт	myrtle
мускатний горіх	nutmeg
неролі	neroli
оман	elecampane
пачулі	patchouli
полин	wormwood
розмарин	rosemary
ромашка	camomile
сандал	sandalwood
сосна	pine
троянда	rose
трояндове дерево	poon
туя	thuja
фенхель	fennel
цитронела	citronella
чабрець	thyme
чайне дерево	tea tree
чорнобривці	marigold
шавлія	sage
ялина	fir, spruce
ялівець	juniper

 

Task 2. Read and discuss the text.

History of Aromаtherapy

Part I

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In brief, aromatherapy is the use of volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Although the term aromatherapy was not used until the 20th Century, the foundations of aromatherapy date back thousands of years. The use of essential oils in particular date back nearly one thousand years.

The Chinese may have been one of the first cultures to use aromatic plants for well-being. Their practices involved burning incense to help create harmony and balance.

Later, the Egyptians invented a rudimentary distillation machine that allowed for the crude extraction of cedarwood oil. It is also thought by some that Persia and India may have also invented crude distillation machines, but very little is known.

Oils of cedarwood, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and myrrh were used by the Egyptians to embalm the dead. When a tomb was opened in the early 20th century, traces of the herbs were discovered with intact portions of the body. The scent, although faint, was still apparent. Although the cedarwood the Egyptians used was distilled by a crude distillation process, the other oils the Egyptians used were most likely infused oils.

The Egyptians also used infused oils and herbal preparations for spiritual, medicinal, fragrant and cosmetic use. It is thought that the Egyptians coined the term perfume, from the Latin per fumum which translates as through the smoke. Egyptian men of the time used fragrance as readily as the women. An interesting method that the men used to fragrance themselves was to place a solid cone of perfume on their heads. It would gradually melt and would cover them in fragrance.

The Greeks learned a great deal from the Egyptians, but Greek mythology apparently credits the gift and knowledge of perfumes to the gods. The Greeks also recognized the medicinal and aromatic benefits of plants. Hippocrates, commonly called the "father of medicine" practiced fumigations for both aromatic and medicinal benefit. A Greek perfumer by the name of Megallus created a perfume called megaleion. Megaleion included myrrh in a fatty-oil base and served several purposes: (1) for its aroma, (2) for its anti-inflammatory properties towards the skin and (3) to heal wounds.

The Roman Empire built upon the knowledge of the Egyptians and Greeks. Discorides wrote a book called De Materia Medica that described the properties of approximately 500 plants. It is also reported that Discorides studied distillation. Distillation during this period, however, focused on extracting aromatic floral waters and not essential oils.

 

Task 3. Translate into Ukrainian:

 

Disease	Essential oils that treat for the disease
angina, tonsillitis	bergamot, geranium, origanum, ginger, cardamom, ladanum, lime, marjoram, fir, rosemary, camomile, sandalwood, thyme, tea tree, sage, eucalyptus
bronchitis	azalea, calamus, anise, orange, basil, elecampane, origanum, fir, hyssop, cajeput, cardamom, pine, cypress, cedar, coriander, cinnamon, lavender, ladanum, lime, marjoram, melissa, almond, myrtle, wоrmwood, rosemary, poon, sandalwood, thuja, milfoil, fennel, thyme, tea tree, sage, eucalyptus
hypertonia	azalea, verbena, ilang-ilang, hyssop, lavender, lime, marjoram, rose
hypotension	verbena, ilang-ilang, hyssop, fir, rosemary, rose, citronella, thyme
headache, migraine	azalea, basil, valerian, verbena, geranium, ilang-ilang, ginger, cardamom, cypress, lavender, lime, lemon, marjoram, melissa, peppermint, neroli, rosemary, poon, rose, camomile, eucalyptus
toothache	basil, cajeput, coriander, melissa, peppermint, fir
otitus	geranium, cajeput, lavender, sage
radiculitis	azalea, calamus, vetiver, fir, ginger, cajeput, pine, coriander, cinnamon, lavender, laurel, ladanum, lime, cedar, marjoram, melissa, myrtle, juniper, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, poon, thuja, milfoil, tea tree, sage, eucalyptus
stress, depression	calamus, anise, orange, basil, marigold, bergamot, valerian, vetiver, carnation, geranium, grapefruit, jasmine, ilang-ilang, cardamom, pine, coriander, cedar, cinnamon, lavender, ladanum, lime, tangerine, melissa, myrrh, myrtle, juniper, nutmeg, neroli, patchouli, wоrmwood, rosemary, poon, rose, camomile, sandalwood, fennel, citronella, thyme, sage
tachycardia	anise, orange, valerian, geranium, coriander, lavender, peppermint, neroli

 

 

Task 4. Read the text and make up 10 questions to it. Let your group-mates answer

them.

History of Aromаtherapy

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A major event for the distillation of essential oils came with the invention of a coiled cooling pipe in the 11th century. Persian by birth, Avicenna invented a coiled pipe which allowed the plant vapor and steam to cool down more effectively than previous distillers that used a straight cooling pipe. Avicenna's contribution lead to more focus on essential oils and their benefits.

Within the 12th century, an Abbess of Germany named Hildegard grew and distilled lavender for its medicinal properties.

Within the 13th century, the pharmaceutical industry was born. This event encourages great distillation of essential oils.

During the 14th century, the Black Death hit and killed millions of people. Herbal preparations were used extensively to help fight this terrible killer. It is believed that some perfumers may have avoided the plague by their constant contact with the natural aromatics.

Within the 15th century, more plants were distilled to create essential oils including frankincense, juniper, rose, sage and rosemary. A growth in the amount of books on herbs and their properties also begins later in the century. Paracelcus, an alchemist, medical doctor and radical thinker is credited with coining the term Essence and his studies radically challenged the nature of alchemy and he focused upon using plants as medicines.

During the 16th century, one could begin purchasing oils at an "apothecary," and many more essential oils were introduced.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, perfume starting being considered an art form, and it was more clearly defined as its own field.

During the 19th century, perfumery remained a prosperous industry. Women would have their jeweler create a special bottle to hold their treasured perfume. The 19th century also was important scientifically as major constituents of essential oils became isolated.

 

Task 5. Give the English equivalents for the following:

 

апельсин, мускатний горіх, ромашка, сосна, мирт, аїр, вербена, грейпфрут, коріандр, ладан, неролі, лайм, фенхель, лавр, туя, сандал, трояндове дерево, розмарин, полин, мандарин, майоран, ветівер, кардамон, евкаліпт, чайне дерево, цитронела, пачулі, мигдаль, м’ята, мирра, чорнобривці, кориця, меліса, кипарис, неролі, ялівець,оман, жасмин, гісоп, іланг-іланг, деревій, шавлія, троянда, чабрець, імбир, каєпут, материнка, кедр.

 

Task 6. Translate the text into English and answer the questions after it:

 

History of Aromаtherapy

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During the 20th century, the knowledge of separating the constituents of essential oils was used to create synthetic chemicals and drugs. It had been believed that by separating the major constituents and then using the constituents alone or in synthetic form would be beneficial therapeutically and economically. These discoveries helped lead to "modern medicine" and synthetic fragrances. This actually weakened the use of essential oils for medicinal and aromatic benefit.

During the earlier part of the 20th century, a French chemist by the name of René-Maurice Gattefossé became interested in the use of essential oils for their medicinal use. Previously, he focused on the aromatic use of essential oils, but his interest in their medicinal use grew after an accident heightened his curiosity. While working, he burned his arm rather badly. By reflex, he plunged his burned arm into the closest liquid which happened to be a large container of lavender essential oil. The burn he suffered healed quickly and left no scar. Gattefossé is credited with coining the term aromatherapy in 1928 within an article where he supports the use of using essential oils in whole without breaking them down into their primary constituents. In 1937, Gattefossé wrote a book called Aromathérapie: Les Huiles essentielles hormones végétales that was later translated into English and named Gattefossé's Aromatherapy. It is still in print and widely read.

Other highly respected 20th century aromatherapists include Jean Valnet, Madam Marguerite Maury, and Robert B. Tisserand. Jean Valnet is most remembered for his work using essential oils to treat injured soldiers during the war and for his book, The Practice of Aromatherapy, originally entitled Aromathérapie in French. Austrian Madam Marguerite Maury is remembered as a biochemist who avidly studied, practiced and taught the use of aromatherapy for primarily cosmetic benefit. Robert B. Tisserand is an English aromatherapist who is responsible for being one of the first individuals to bring knowledge and education of aromatherapy to English speaking nations. He has written books and articles including the highly respected 1977 publication The Art of Aromatherapy. The Art of Aromatherapy was the first aromatherapy book published in English.

From the late 20th century and on into the 21st century, there is a growing resurgence to utilize more natural products including essential oils for therapeutic, cosmetic and aromatic benefit. The use of essential oils has never ceased, but the scientific revolution minimized the popularity and use of essential oils in one's everyday life. Today's heightened awareness regarding the use of synthetics coupled with the increased availability of aromatherapy information within books and the Internet has refueled the use of essential oils for therapeutic, cosmetic, fragrant and spiritual use.

What happened to René-Maurice Gattefossé while working?

What book did he write?

Under what circumstances did Jean Valnet use essential oils?

How did Madam Marguerite Maury,and Robert B. Tisserand use volatile oils?

Has essential oils use ever ceased?

 

Task 7. Make up dialogues using active vocabulary of the lesson on the topics:

a)“Manners of essential oils use”

b) “Aromаtherapy as an comlpementary way of treatment ”

c) “Aromаtherapy of the 21^st century”

Unit 8.

Meals

Meals

Meals in England are much the same as in other countries with the exception of breakfast. I expect you've heard all about the English breakfast with its porridge or cereal, bacon and eggs, toast, marmalade and tea or coffee. Very few people like chocolate or cocoa for breakfast. In the afternoon about four o'clock or half past nearly everybody has tea. The two main meals of the day, lunch and dinner, are more or less alike. Most people have lunch about one o'clock and dinner at half past seven or later.

Questions:

What is the English breakfast like?

What are the two main meals of the day?

When do the English have lunch (dinner)?