Although other civilizations in India and the Americas were also using aromatics, it seems those in the Middle East and China that have actually left us the best records.ĭuring the 3rd Dynasty (2650-2575 BC) in Egypt, the process of embalming and mummification was developed by the Egyptians in their search for immortality. This landmark text contains information about the properties of over 300 different plants and their medical uses, which suggests they may even have preceded the Egyptians in their use and knowledge of plant based medicines. The Chinese 'Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine', was written in 2697 BC and is the oldest surviving medical book in China. Interestingly, the word perfume comes from the Latin 'per fumum', which means 'through smoke'. Initially, any fragrant woods, barks or herbs growing in the locality would have been used, since the major aromatic trading centres would not appear for thousands of years yet. Some of these poor individuals were possibly suffering from mental illness, but apart from using fire and water, 'smoking' was the only other form of treatment. Prior to that, and long before plant medicines of any sort had been discovered (5,000 to 10,000 BC), our ancestors would burn aromatic herbs, scented woods and barks to drive out the 'evil spirits' from sick people. Eventually, the development of aromatics as medicines would create the foundations that aromatherapy was built upon. They believed that as the smoke rose up to the heavens, it would carry their prayers and wishes directly to the deities. This was a time when the ancient Egyptians first burned incense made from aromatic woods, herbs and spices in honour of their gods. In reality, the history of aromatherapy is inexorably linked to the development of aromatic medicine, which in the early days was itself combined with religion, mysticism and magic. The roots of aromatherapy can be traced back more than 3,500 years before the birth of Christ, to a time when the use of aromatics was first recorded in human history.

Thousands of years later bases