ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to present a concise overview of the practice of aromatherapy around the world based on the author's 30-year experience as aromatherapist, educator, and editor of an international aromatherapy journal. To this day, a degree of confusion exists as to what the titles “aromatherapy” and “aromatherapist” actually mean; it is the author's intention to help bring clarity by offering some historical context, defining different aromatherapy styles, and painting a broad perspective of this profession as it is currently practiced. This chapter has certain limitations; for example, it confines information concerning aromatherapeutic applications to humans only, reports only on recent work and studies that mention aromatherapy, and omits a detailed overview of the historical use of aromatics for health and well-being. Furthermore, as the pharmacological and psychological effects of essential oils are the subject of other chapters in this text, in-depth detail on the mechanism of action of aromatherapy interventions is also limited to avoid repetition.
