History of Essential Oils

Some may be surprised to know that essential oils date back hundreds of years.  There are many references to Frankincense in both Christian and Muslim religious texts.  There are different cultures that have found some various, and creative, uses for essential oils.  The earliest known culture to extensively use them is the Egyptians.  There is evidence that they had hundreds of different mixes they used as prescriptions.  They believed in the aromatherapy powers of the oils and focused on developing that.  They also strongly believed in using them when embalming people.  This was shown when the tomb of King Tut was unearthed that had jars with hints of essential oils around him.  Following the Egyptians several civilizations used essential oils for different reasons.  The Chinese and Greeks believed strongly in the medicinal benefits they offer.  The Romans took the Greeks development and built on it while also using them for better smelling fragrances.

One of the most interesting ways the oils were used was during the Bubonic Plague.  As the disease was killing almost half of western Europe a crew of thieves were robbing the deceased without contracting the highly contagious disease.  Once they were caught they made a deal in exchange for leniency that they would reveal how they were able to resist the disease.  They revealed that they used oils that had strong antibacterial properties and rubbed them all over their bodies to avoid infection.

Essential oils really started being developed in the early 1900’s and have been evolving ever since.