Abstract

Investigation into aromatherapeutic potentials of essential oils using Benjamin Franklin calming effect model is fast gaining ground. Aromatherapy is the therapeutic application of plants’ essential oils in the managment and treatment of various health conditions and also for the enhancement (or improvement) of psychological and physical well-being of people. Researchers have extracted essential oils from plant species and found them potent against wide range of health disease conditions such as hypertension, oncological disorders, metabolic disorders, nephrological problems, nervous disorders etc. The widely investigated plants for aromatherapeutic properties are lavender, orange, coconut and lemon. Aromatherapy is achieved either by spraying (or aerial diffusion), direct inhalation, topical application, massaging, water immersion or rarely oral administration. Although, there has been slight rebuttals on some therapeutic claims of essential oils but the fact remains that essential oils have proven to be efficacious as an alternative medicine to a number of disease conditions. This is because there are misconceptions between fragnance and essential oil. The essence of this article was to reveal the enormous aromatherapeutic properties of plants’ essential oils.

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