Essential oils have been known and used for thousands of years all around the world (India, Egypt, China, Greece, etc.) to make perfumes and medical potions. Aromatherapy was widespread in ancient Egyptian medicine and had a great variety of practical applications. The high priests of ancient Egypt had a sophisticated knowledge on the potential effect of aromas both on the psyche and the body. The Bible refers frequently to the use of essential oils for healing and religious ceremonies.
In the middle ages, monks cultivated herbs specifically to reveal their properties and for healing purposes. In Renaissance times, the first printed herbals appeared and different essences containing essential oils could be bought from the apothecary.
By the end of the 18th century the scientific progress gradually suppressed the use of essential oils, and more and more chemical substances substituted them. Only a century later, the natural and unique healing power of essential oils was rediscovered and newly acknowledged.