The oldest documented use of aromatic substances dated back 60,000 years, where concentrated extracts of yarrow, grape hyacinth, mallow, knapweed, and other plants were found buried with the Neanderthal skeleton at a burial site which is now Iraq. In France, drawings showing medicinal herbs were found at the Lascaux cave dating back 17,300 years. Also, the Sumerians, which is now Syria, have a documented use of caraway and thyme, as well as the use of a pot that could have been used for distillery, showing they might have been sophisticated herbalists.
Ancient Egypt is the most famous place when we talk about early uses of aromatics substances and hey even had their own God of Fragrance, called Nefertem. Medicinal herbs, perfumers and “fine oil” were appointed in papyrus that are dated back in time around 2800 BC and 2000 BC, reporting the use of cedarwood and myrrh in the embalming process of mummification, as well as the use of styrax and frankincense in various ornate jars and cosmetic pots located in the tombs. Egyptians have also created very refined techniques to take care of the skin, creating beauty recipes that are used till today, using the aromatic substances as main ingredients in the recipes. Cleopatra was very famous for the use of these substances to increase her beauty and her power of seduction. When Cleopatra traveled to meet Marco Aurelio, the sails of her boat were bathed in jasmine, an aphrodisiac aromatic substance.
In China, Shen Nung wrote a book in 2800 BC, called The Great Herbal, where he lists 350 plants, many of which are still being used today. Another important book dating from more than 2000 years BC, is called the Yellow Emperor’s Book of Internal Medicine. The Chinese have a tradition in the use of herbs together with acupuncture. They also used many aromatics, for example opium and ginger, both used for therapeutics as well as for religious purpose, as in the Li-ki and Tcheou-Li ceremonies. Borneol, for example, is still used today in rituals in China. The Chinese accepted transdermal delivery, placing cloth that was soaking in herbs on the skin in order to heal, while the Western world denied it. There is a big similarity between Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine and around 1000 BC, China and India were exchanging herbs.
Indian is maybe the only place in the world where the tradition of the use of plants in medicine has never stopped since ancient times. The Vedic literature from around 2000 BC listed more than 700 different substances, including: cinnamon, spikenard, ginger, myrrh, sandalwood and coriander. The Vedic also includes the process of distillation and condensation of volatile oils from plants. For the Indians, the use of aromatic substances has both therapeutic and liturgical purpose. Human beings are seen as a part of the nature, and the use of the plants, as something sacred. Their knowledge of plants evolved in the traditional medicine or Ayurvedic system, that is still being used in present days. An interesting fact is that the Indian shamans were called “perfumeros”.
The Greeks, Herodotus and Democrates, visiting Egypt in the fifth century BC, learned a lot about perfumery and natural therapeutics. Herodotus was the first to register the distillation method of turpentine in 425 BC. In 300 BC, Theophrastus, later called the father of botany, described the particular use of the aromatic plants in his book, “Enquiry into Plants”. He was also the one to discover that at night, the jasmine aroma was stronger. Hippocrates lived around 460 BC and used perfumed fermentations and fumigations with his patients, and he is known as the father of medicine. He also suggested that people used aromatic plants against disease during the plague epidemic. Another Greek, Dioscorides (around 100 AD), made a deep study of the use and source of plants and aromatics, which was used by the Greeks and Romans, known as “De Materia Medica”, where he listed 700 plants, including aromatics, such as: basil, verbena, rose, cardamom, garlic, and rosemary.
The Romans used the perfumers and aromatic oils not only for medicinal purpose but also to improve their hygiene and beauty. Aromatics were use in public baths, massages, and as fragrance. Claudio Galenos, a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire, described an energetic profile for the plants, with a similar approach as those from the Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. He described the temperature and moisture of the diseases as well.
Did you know that? Let here in the comments if you do.