The term “aromatherapy” was first coined in 1937 by Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, whose badly burned arm was supposedly miraculously cured by the use of lavender oil. Jean Valnet decided to further investigate the medicinal benefits of essential oils by applying them to soldiers’ wounds during World War II. Today, essential oils are still used for their healing properties and as a form of therapy with claims such as eucalyptus aiding in the prevention of colds and flu while a blend of ylang ylang with grapefruit relieving stress. Scientific evidence for such claims is very thin.
