Glossary
Unless you have experience with the use of essential oils and practice of aromatherapy, you may not be familiar with some of the terms or phrases used throughout the website. This glossary will assist you in your comprehensive understanding regarding the art and science of aromatherapy. This glossary is not an extensive guide to aromatherapy concepts. It is, however, a list of commonly used words to be familiar with in this practice.
Aromatherapist - a person who practices aromatherapy. A qualified aromatherapist will have haven taken a course in aromatherapy and may be registered with a professional organization to gain accreditation. There are no set requirements for a person to set themselves up as an ‘aromatherapist’ in the USA and there is a huge variation in the courses available from online courses, 1 day seminars to lengthier 1 year diploma courses. The more in-depth a course a person has studied, who they studied with, length of experience and whether they belong to a professional organization should give you some idea of their expertise. There are a lot of ‘aromatherapists’ out there trying to sell you ‘aromatherapy’ products - but once you start asking questions about essential oils, carriers and the Latin names of essential oils used, for example, they may not know what you are talking about.
Aromatherapy - a therapy using the 'aromas' (essential oils) of plants to help ‘heal’ any number of ailments (such as back pain, asthma, arthritis, PMS etc) and induce certain moods.
Blend - although each essential oil carries its own unique therapeutic properties, a combination of essential oils ‘blended’ together can increase the capacity to heal. That is why I offer a ‘blend’ of essential oils in a carrier, rather than use them individually. That is why you should seek advice from a qualified aromatherapist when consulting about a particular ailment, essential oil, or aromatherapy product!
Carrier (oil) - used to apply essential oils to the skin, as most essential oils are too powerful to be applied directly to the body. A lot of the carrier oils have their own therapeutic properties, in addition to that of the essential oils, and blends are created with this in mind.
Essential oil - the ‘life blood’ of a plant which is found in the glandular hairs, glands, vein or sacs. Extracted from flowers, leaves, trees, roots and fruit, it is these ‘essences’ which provide a plant’s ‘perfume’ or ‘flavor’ and, once distilled, the end product of an ‘essential oil’ contains the healing properties used in aromatherapy.
Pulse Points - one of the sites on the surface of the body where arterial pulsations can be easily palpated. The most commonly used pulse point is over the radial artery at the wrist. Other pulse points include the temporal artery in front of the ear; the common carotid artery at the lower level of the thyroid cartilage; the facial artery at the lower margin of the jaw; and the femoral, popliteal, posterior tibialis, and dorsalis pedis pulse points.
Synthetic - a synthetic oil is one that has been put together from other sources and passed off as the true product. The perfume industry frequently uses synthetic fragrances to substitute because it is cheaper to do so, hence a higher mark up in profit. Synthetic oils may in fact contain chemicals that will cause an allergic reaction. There is no substitute for a true essential oil for aromatherapy uses - a synthetic will not contain the healing properties of the plant from which it was ‘extracted’.
Water (distilled) - distilled water is used blends, as opposed to tap water, because distilled water has no impurities or chemicals added to it.
Aromatherapy - a therapy using the 'aromas' (essential oils) of plants to help ‘heal’ any number of ailments (such as back pain, asthma, arthritis, PMS etc) and induce certain moods.
Blend - although each essential oil carries its own unique therapeutic properties, a combination of essential oils ‘blended’ together can increase the capacity to heal. That is why I offer a ‘blend’ of essential oils in a carrier, rather than use them individually. That is why you should seek advice from a qualified aromatherapist when consulting about a particular ailment, essential oil, or aromatherapy product!
Carrier (oil) - used to apply essential oils to the skin, as most essential oils are too powerful to be applied directly to the body. A lot of the carrier oils have their own therapeutic properties, in addition to that of the essential oils, and blends are created with this in mind.
Essential oil - the ‘life blood’ of a plant which is found in the glandular hairs, glands, vein or sacs. Extracted from flowers, leaves, trees, roots and fruit, it is these ‘essences’ which provide a plant’s ‘perfume’ or ‘flavor’ and, once distilled, the end product of an ‘essential oil’ contains the healing properties used in aromatherapy.
Pulse Points - one of the sites on the surface of the body where arterial pulsations can be easily palpated. The most commonly used pulse point is over the radial artery at the wrist. Other pulse points include the temporal artery in front of the ear; the common carotid artery at the lower level of the thyroid cartilage; the facial artery at the lower margin of the jaw; and the femoral, popliteal, posterior tibialis, and dorsalis pedis pulse points.
Synthetic - a synthetic oil is one that has been put together from other sources and passed off as the true product. The perfume industry frequently uses synthetic fragrances to substitute because it is cheaper to do so, hence a higher mark up in profit. Synthetic oils may in fact contain chemicals that will cause an allergic reaction. There is no substitute for a true essential oil for aromatherapy uses - a synthetic will not contain the healing properties of the plant from which it was ‘extracted’.
Water (distilled) - distilled water is used blends, as opposed to tap water, because distilled water has no impurities or chemicals added to it.