From Meridian Essence to TCM Aromatherapy
An Upgrade of Meridian Essence with the Use of Chinese Herbal Essential Oils
When it comes to "essential oils", a theme that I have been talking about all my life, I always try to use various specific examples to demonstrate their effects. Yet, there has always been gray area of some sort, that is, how should the effects of essential oils be positioned? Is it really difficult to tell whether an essential oil is pure or not?
This is also a question that I am most often asked. In fact, the authenticity of an essential oil is not difficult to discern. My answer would be, "as long as you smelt the authentic ones, you should be able to tell the ones that are fake." This answer may sound a bit tyrannical, but it is also very true. Those who have experienced it will also nod from the heart. A sad thing for modern people is that our sensory enjoyment merely includes all the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. We appreciate things with almost only two senses left, which are sight and hearing. We may appreciate beautiful things with our eyes. We may appreciate beautiful music with our ears. But few people would regard smelling a particular kind of aroma as an entertainment. Wenxiang (smelling fragrance) should be an entertaining activity that may contribute to one's peace of mind. Yet, this enjoyment of olfaction is declining, why? After the industrial revolution in the 19th century, the synthesis of fragrance and its use in industrial application have become common. People no longer has to fight for spices or plant for the extraction of fragrance. People just need to make it in the laboratory. It guarantees that there will be no pesticides and no chemical fertilizer. It guarantees that the fragrance synthesized will be 100% pure. However, it also guarantees that fragrance will only be "fragrance, " nothing more than a dead inorganic substance that has no healing effects and will not even interact with the human cells. Therefore, after the science and technology has been prosperous, "fragrance" has long been used as an indoor fragrance, a deodorant substance, or a sentimental product. I refuse to reconcile with what I have found and seek to find other evidences regarding the possibility that fragrance could be healing. In literature review, I found plenty of them. The word "aromatherapy" is actually quite young. It was first coined by a French chemist, Rene Maurice Gattefosse in 1920. Once, he accidentally burned his hand in his father's perfume factory. Out of emergency, he immediately placed the injured hand in pure lavender essential oil. Afterwards, there was no trace of the part being injured. In addition to the miraculous wound healing ability, it is also found that lavender essential oils have also shortened the recovery time. This prompted him to study the effects of lavender essential oil. In 1928, he published his research results in scientific journals and used the term "Aromatherapie" for the first time. In 1937, Rene published another medical book devoted to the effectiveness of essential oils against bacteria. Since then, "aromatherapy" has become a thread of a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. It is until Jean Vainet, a French doctor, in 1964, that essential oils have been used for medical purposes. For instance, by means of olfactory stimulation and skin absorption, essential oils may be transmitted to the central nervous system of the brain for the purpose of soothing the nervous system, respiratory system, circulatory system, endocrine system and digestive system. Its scent is also effective in producing psychological effects. For instance, one may get to transform emotions, enhance attention, relieve stress, relax muscles and improve sleep patterns with the help of beautiful scents. Regarding the application of these aroma plants, more evidences can be found in the history, both Chinese and Western. Some even plays a role in the rise and fall of great powers. When the time is pushed back to the 15th century, we will find the great sea power dispute between Portugal and Spain are actually a fight for rare spices in the name of sea power expansion for finding a new continent. Zheng He's expeditions to the "Western" during the period of Yongle Emperor is another example is also said to be for the black pepper and other South Asian spices in the area around the India and Sri Lanka today. Earlier records regarding the use of fragrance can be found in The Songs of Chu written by Qu Yuan, which is about the burning of incense sticks or the wearing of aromatic sachet, both in the court and in the folk in the Spring and Autumn (770-476 BC) and Warring States (475-221) periods. The history of using fragrance can be said to be across the East and the West, across the ancient and the modern. Everyone loves fragrance. Yet, when fragrance has become a product and is commercially promoted in all ways, plant essential oils that are naive and "nature" has become farther away from us. Meridian Essence: Theory of Essential Oils and Meridian is not just about what is essential oil and what is not or what kind of essential oil is authentic. It is also about the use essential oils as a tool for the practice of the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Meridian essence will lead you to another chapter of aromatherapy that is combined with the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Through the means of acupressure and meridian massage, essential oils get to enter deep into your body, to every part of your tissues, organs, liquids, cells, feelings and souls. The regimen of meridian essence is not just about the care of the body but also for the care of the heart as whole. This is fundamental in all nature therapies, both Chinese and Western.
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Dr. Li Chun LianA certified aromatherapist and a traditional Chinese medical doctor experienced in the use of essential oils in accordance with the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine through the operation of meridians. By means of application, massage, manipulation or acupressure, it is believed that the incredible power of the plants is able to come into effects through breathing and the circulation of qi and blood in the human body. Archives
July 2020
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