ABSTRACT
Aromatherapy is a practice that takes advantage of the health properties of therapeutic plants and essential oils. The term aromatherapy was coined in 1928 by Frenchman Rene-Maurice Gattefosse; his interest in essential oils and their use in medicine was such that he wrote a book in 1937 on the subject: Aromathérapie: les huiles essentielles hormones végétales. Essential oils, essences, or volatile oils are volatile mixtures whose chemical compositions are very complex and present in more than 17,000 plants. Families involving species that are rich in essential oils are Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Cupressaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Liliaceae, Magnoliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rutaceae (Tutin et al., 1993; Capasso, 2011). Essential oils are complexes of volatile substances that are liquid at a relatively low boiling point, present in all plant organs, insoluble or poorly soluble in water, and soluble in alcohol, ether, and xed oils. Due to their volatile nature, they all have a strong, mostly pleasant, odor. The main chemical constituents of essential oils are represented by hydrocarbons, terpenes, or aromatic and oxygenated derivatives (e.g., alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and acids).
