Have you ever stopped to wonder what the history of essential oil is? If you are not into history or interested in such things as this, then you probably have never given any thought to this. However for those who are interested in learning more about this topic, take some time to read through this article to hear what the history of essential oil is.
A Look Back In Time: The History Of Essential Oil
The history reaches back throughout time to the period of ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. In fact, it reaches throughout the Middle and Far East as well. The common feature here is the essence of the plant. These plants had to have an identifiable aroma, flavor or other characteristic that people found to be of practical use.
Throughout the history these essential oils were used as perfume, food flavoring, deodorant, a pharmaceutical or as an embalming antiseptic. In order to create these things, plant material had to be steeped in a fatty oil or wine, which acted as a solvent to establish the desired flavor or aroma that these people wanted to have.
The History Of Essential Oil Timeline
The impure and diluted extracts are oftentimes used as oils or creams. These things were introduced into Europe. However, the history ended there for a while. Until specialized craftsmen started to work on these essential oils again. This happened in the 12th century when the English Guild of Pepperers and the French court perfumers began working with oils. In the 1300s Spain and France began distilling so that more concentrated essences of the oils could be enjoyed. Over time the distillation process was improved upon. Then in 1430 the first publication about essential oils was written, entitled “The Book of Nurture.”
By 1550 there were some specific trends obvious. First, France was producing spiked lavender oil, which was used as a trading commodity. Secondly, flavors and aromas were being expressed from an increasing number of new sources. Third, pharmacists, chemists, and physicians began studying the physical, chemical and medicinal properties of these oils.
A Look At Essential Oils Today
There are now numerous essential oils and products available today. In fact, there are both international markets and industries that only deal with these oils. This is all thanks to the technology of the 20th century. The technology allows chemicals to be separated and used as a building block to introduce particular flavors and aromas into a product.

There are a lot of benefits to aromatherapy. Perhaps you want to help heal minor problems. Perhaps you want a sensual massage. Perhaps you need to calm down or wake up. Or perhaps you want to smell something pleasing. Whatever your reason, you will soon discover that your nose has its own likes and dislikes. What essential oil recipes work for one person might not work for you, much in the same way jazz music is both loved and hated. You have to spend some time learning what scents you like and what you dont. This way you can make your own essential oil recipes that best benefit you.
Notes Of Scent
Creating your own essential oil recipes can be a lot of fun for many people, like playing or listening to music. With your first essential oil recipes, stick with just three oils until you get the hang of it. Otherwise, they will clash. Also, considering the price of some essential oils, it will be a lot cheaper.
There are three kinds of oils that you need in your mix to make it the most effective. These types of essential oils are called notes. You need a top note, and a middle note, and a base note. You can also make some good essential oil recipes with one top note and two middles. Experiment and see what works best for you. Note what scents bring about what kind of feelings brought up in you. Its safer to blend essential oils with a carrier oil like olive or jojoba than just to use the pure essential oils if you mean to put the oil on your body. Its also a lot less expensive! When burning oils for their scent alone, it is best to use the pure essential oils.
Top Notes
Top notes are like the lead vocals of an essential oil recipe. They are usually the first thing you notice. They also dont last too long, letting the other notes take over. Many fruity and floral scents fall into this category. Common top note essential oils are lemon, bergamot, eucalyptus and orange.
Middle Notes
Middle notes are like the guitars in a band. They are more subtle than top notes and tend to last a lot longer. Spicy, floral and herbal kind of essential oils tend to fall into this category. Some are listed as middle notes OR base notes, depending on what aromatherapy book you read. Smell them and determine for yourself how long the scent lasts in your essential oil recipes. Common middle note oils are lavender, geranium, patchouli, rose and rosemary.
Base Notes
Base note scents are the percussion and rhythm of the scent band. They provide the beat that the rest of the band has to follow. The base note oils linger the longest in you essential oil recipes. Many spicy and woody scents fall into this category. Common base note oils are sandalwood, cypress, frankincense and myrrh. Some also list patchouli and even rose in this category.