According to our current knowledge, human society started to observe nature when it discovered that the environment that meets its most important needs such as shelter and nutrition during the agricultural period, when it settled in different parts of the world, about 12,000 years ago. While a magnificent tree develops from a small seed, each seed has a different power, the wisdom and therapeutic properties of the resin secreted by the injured tree to repair itself, some plants create a change in his soul and make his dream, and in the world of plants and flowers that make him feel good as well as bad, he can gain this power. tried to do. Extracts of plants, vegetable oils, and aromatic oils obtained by using different plants and various methods in different geographies in different periods of human history have had a great place in the routine of human life. In the cultures of Ancient Egypt, India, Maya, Native Americans, China, India, Mesopotamia, and Shaman, these oils were given importance and in addition to these, substances obtained from animals and minerals were used for various purposes.
Recipes for aromatic oils were found in writings written on the Ebers Papyrus around 2800 BC in ancient Egypt. About 500 different substances are mentioned in the writing of 876 prescriptions in the Ebers Papyrus; There is information about the use of different oils obtained from plants and animals, alone or in combination, to make these recipes.
In the Epers Papyrus, which has the longest medical record preserved and found in the university library in Germany, diseases are classified and treatments are defined according to the periods of burns and wounds. The active ingredient of the willow tree, which is mentioned in papyri and used in the treatment of pain, entered modern pharmacology with the name Aspirin in 1839 and has become the most widely used drug all over the world. Various herbal oils, honey mixtures, and remedy recipes have been found in wound healing, hair, and skin care recipes. Castor oil, which is among these plants and is used in the treatment of hair growth today, is found in many mixtures. The oil obtained from the resin of the frankincense tree was used not only for incense but also for the treatment of respiratory and digestive diseases and wounds.
Today, due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the boswellic acid contained in this oil, it is successfully used in chronic inflammation. Personal hygiene, cures for removing bad breath, vegetable oils created to eliminate mouth and body odors, and their importance are emphasized. Moringa tree oil, honey, various aromatic oils, and their mixtures have been used for age spots and wrinkles, with almond oil in the first place. Almond oil is one of the most used vegetable oils in cosmetics today. It has also been revealed in archaeological research that many antibacterial, and antifungal natural oils were used in the mummification technique in Ancient Egypt, and that some of the oils found included cedar, beeswax, resins of different trees with different properties, and various aromatic oils. has been placed.
Prof. Dr. Hulya Kocak Berberoglu
RESOURCES
1- Hartmann A. Back to the roots – dermatology in ancient Egyptian medicine. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2016 Apr;14(4):389-96. English, German. doi: 10.1111/ddg.12947. PMID: 27027749.
2- Boghrati Z, Sabouri-Rad S, Emami SA, Saber MT, Sahebkar A, Tayarani-Najaran Z. The Use of Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Alopecia in the Canon of Avicenna: An Evidence-Based Review. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1308:291-308. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64872-5_21. PMID: 33861452.
3- Buranova DD. The value of Avicenna’s heritage in development of modern integrative medicine in Uzbekistan. Integr Med Res. 2015 Dec;4(4):220-224. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2015.06.002. Epub 2015 Jun 12. PMID: 28664128; PMCID: PMC5481794.)41-Yuan R, Zhang D, Yang J, Wu Z, Luo C, Han L, Yang F, Lin J, Yang M. Review of aromatherapy essential oils and their mechanism of action against migraines. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Jan 30;265:113326. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113326. Epub 2020 Aug 30. PMID: 32877718.
4- Yuan R, Zhang D, Yang J, Wu Z, Luo C, Han L, Yang F, Lin J, Yang M. Review of aromatherapy essential oils and their mechanism of action against migraines. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Jan 30;265:113326. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113326. Epub 2020 Aug 30. PMID: 32877718.
