aromatherapy

In alternative medicine, use of oils and essences derived from plants, flowers, and wood resins. Bactericidal properties and beneficial effects upon physiological functions are attributed to the oils, which are sometimes ingested but generally massaged into the skin.

Aromatherapy was first used in ancient Greece and Egypt, but became a forgotten art until the 1930s, when a French chemist accidentally spilt lavender over a cut and found that the wound healed without a scar. However, it was not until the 1970s that it began to achieve widespread popularity.