Perfumes And
Essential
Oils
Ancient Uses Of Perfumes
Rebecca Park Totilo
In ancient times, essential oils and other
aromatics were used for religious rituals, as well as for the treatment of
illness and other physical and spiritual needs.
This included the ancient uses of perfumes in
these practices.
According to the Essential Oils Desk Reference compiled by
Essence Science Publishing, “Records dating back to 4500 B.C. describes the use of
balsamic substances with aromatic properties for religious rituals and medical
applications.”
The translation of ancient papyrus found in the
Temple of Edfu, located on the west bank of the Nile reveals medicinal formulas
and perfume recipes used by the alchemist and high priest in blending aromatic
substances for rituals performed in the temples and pyramids.
As well, Hieroglyphics on the walls of Egyptian
temples depict the blending of oils and describe hundreds of oil recipes.
Within these writings tell of scented barks,
resins of spices, and aromatic vinegar, wines and beers that were used in
rituals, temples, for embalming and medicine.
Thus, the Egyptians were credited as the first
to discover the potential of fragrance and were considered masters in using
essential oils and other aromatics in the embalming process.
They created various aromatic blends for
personal use, placing them in alabaster jars – a vessel specially carved and
shaped for holding fragrant oils.
In fact, when King Tut’s tomb was opened in
1922, 350 liters of oils were discovered in alabaster jars.
Amazingly, because of the solidification of
plant waxes sealing the opening of the jars, the liquefied oil was in perfect
condition.
In the upper region of Egypt, a sect of Jews,
called Essenes, were known for their healing arts and use of essential oils.
Both Philo and Josephus writings indicated that
at the period in which John the Baptist and Jesus were born, the Essenes were
scattered over Palestine, numbering about four thousand souls.
The Essenes or Therapeuts (used interchangeably)
refer primarily to the art of healing which these devotees professed, as it was
believed in those days that sanctity was closely allied to the exercise of this
power, and that no cure of any sort could be imputed simply to natural causes. (Source: http://sacred-texts.com,
http://bopsecrets.org)
The Holy Scriptures record over 1,035 references
to aromatics, ointments, savors, fragrances, plants and incense-most implying
essential oils.
Twelve of the most highly-praised fragrances in
the world mentioned in the Bible include: Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard,
Hyssop, Cypress, Myrtle, Aloes, Sandalwood, Galbanum, Cinnamon, Cassia, and
Onycha.
Many were in the prescribed preparation of the
Holy Anointing Oil and Holy Incense for Temple services, as well as for anointing
and healing the sick.
The people of the ancient world understood the
importance of maintaining wellness and physical health, as well as the oils’
ability to enhance their spiritual state of worship, prayer, and for the
purification from sin.
King David alluded to this in Psalm 51:7 when he wrote, “Purge me with hyssop and I
shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
While David’s Psalm may have been speaking of a “spiritual purification” from his own sin of adultery
with Bathsheba, today we know that the chemical constituents of essential oils
including hyssop are able to penetrate the cell wall and transport needed
oxygen and nutrients to the cell nucleus.
Most essential oils can be absorbed through the
skin or inhaled into the lungs where they then make their way into the
bloodstream.
The sense of smell affects the limbic region of
the brain, which controls emotions, memory and the hypothalamus, which
regulates the pituitary, which in turn balances the entire hormonal system of
the body.
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