When you enter the Fragrant Pharmacy a whole world of possibility is waiting for you. There you will find nature in one of its most powerful forms.—aromatic liquid substances known as essential oils, which are extracted from certain species of flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots and trees. These concentrated liquids are indispensable to medicine, and to the food cosmetic industries.There are at present about three hundred essential oils, which between them constitute an extremely effective medical system. Many of these are the active ingredients in drugs prescribed by the orthodox Western system of medicine, or the inspiration for chemical copies.

In food and drink essential oils are used to give natural flavour and aroma, and as preservatives. Manufacturer of cosmetics appreciate their cell-rejuvenation and beautifying properties, while the fragrance industry is more concerned with their delightful aroma and their mood and emotion-enhancing capacities. Each single oil is used for many diverse purposes. For example, peppermint oil is an anti-inflammatory used to treat rheumatism and arthritis; and it is prescribed by doctors for the relief of discomfort in the digestive system, under the trade name `Colperin. It is well known that peppermint is used by confectioners; and less well known that it is also an ingredient in aftershave lotions. 

It is across this wide spectrum that this web extends, explaining fully and for the first time the many uses to which essential oils can be put in the home. We shall see peppermint oil used for all the purposes mentioned above and many more besides, from headache cure to a method of clearing an ant`s nest or deterring mice from spending the winter in your roof. Impressive though the medicinal qualities of essential oils are, the fragrant pharmacy is not just a book in which to look up illnesses and find the appropriate treatment. This is the household manual of the future and it provides answers to a very wide range of problems.

Reference:Fragrant pharmacy/V.A.Worwood