The key in order to understand what aromatherapy is lies in the use of aromatic oils and liquids. Others define aromatherapy as a form of alternative medicine that made use of volatile liquids called the essential oils and may also include the use of other aromatic materials with the objective of influencing the mood of one person or the patient. The essential oils that are used in the practice may differ in chemical composition if compared with other herbal products since the distillation procedures that are used only gets the lighter phytomolecules. This means that the essential oils that are used are rich in compounds like the monoterpenes, the sesquiterpenes and other VOC substances. The use of these essential oils and aromatic oils is often in conjunction with spiritual beliefs.

Uses and Benefits of Aromatherapy
These aromatic oils and materials are often used in a variety of applications. For example these oils are in massaging products and topical applications that use these essential oils as their main ingredients. The practice of aromatherapy is an old one but the practice of getting the necessary oils help make aromatherapy a product of 20th century. It was the French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse that first made use of the word aromatherapy and that was in 1920s. Gattefosse was involved during that time with the research of the healing properties of essential oils after an accident happened to him on his laboratory. When he set his arm on fire and was thrust near the lavender oil, Gattefosse noticed a relief and the burn healed fast with less scarring and minimal discomfort. This development leads the chemist to work on essential oils as an alternative to known medicines.

There are many modes of application and some of these are the aerial diffusion, the direct inhalation of the aroma and topical applications for massage, baths and skin care. Aromatherapy is known to have a relaxing effect on the person and it may even have some effects on the mood of the person undergoing aromatherapy. But other claims are still without scientific proof.

Another of its benefit is in the treatment of claustrophobia. Based on the researches as the Sloan-Kettering, aromatherapy reduces the attacks on claustrophobic patients that undergo MRI scans. Other benefits of this practice are all linked to the relaxation that it gives to one person.

Most of the time, it is unregulated depending on the location or the country so it is upon the person to check the kind of aromatherapy that is practiced in the area. There are some instances as well when a product or a service is labeled as aromatherapy though the only similarity is the fact that it only contains essential oils.

The supporters and the proponents argued that the effect and the benefits of this on one person is not due to the chemicals that are found to be interacting with the person's senses, rather the oil contains the distillation of the life force of the plant that can help balance the energies of the body and at the same time promote healing.