The Complete Illustrated Guide to Aromatherapy: A Practical Approach to the Use of Essential Oils for Health & Well-being

by Julia Lawless

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all practiced aromatherapy, but it is only in the last decade that the benefits of aromatic oils have been generally recognized. This encyclopedia of remedies and techniques covers every application of aromatherapy from cosmetic and clinical to perfumery and explains how aromatic oils can be used simply and effectively to treat a wide variety of health complaints. Full-color illustrations.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Missy LeBlanc Ivey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Month of September 2022: Essential Oils (Health)

“The Complete Illustrated Guide to Aromatherapy: A Practical Approach to the Use of Essential Oils for Health and Well-being” - Julia Lawless (1997) 224 pages.

This is a beautiful book with quality slick pages loaded down with illustrated photos and lots of great information to add to your repertoire of aromatherapy and essential oil books.

BUT, why the heck is this book printed in CHINA 🇨🇳? And why the heck is the print so freaking TINY. I literally had to use a lighted magnifying glass to read most of it. What a strain on the eyes! These issues definitely affect my star rating.

PART 1 contains brief regurgitations of the history and practical uses of essential oils over the years. The same as all other aromatherapy books.

PART 2 shows some great illustrations on a variety of massages to give. There’s only one problem…I don’t want to give a massage, I want to receive gentle massages just like these. But, if you are interested in giving massages, these instructions and photos will definitely help. NOTE: It does not show the Young Living Raindrop Method of massage.

PART 3 contains the meat of the book…the remedies and the oils that are used to help, although very limited list of conditions.

She has a strange layout by main subject order, for example: Skin Disorders, with a sublist of different skin issues under the main subject. None of this is in alphabetical order. But, at the beginning of this chapter, she has a one page index of the ailments and treatments that are in alphabetical order.

What I like about this manual in this section, is the fact that she also includes “Dietary Factors”…particular real foods and vitamin supplements that will also help alleviate the condition, along with several ways on exact methods to use the essential oils for healing.

PART 4 contains the essentials oils and their uses. But, once again, they are not placed in alphabetical order. The index is at the beginning of the chapter. This chapter provides quite a bit of info and photos of each plant used for essential oils, and some interesting information on the scent (whether a top, middle, or base used for help in layering essential oils), and the psychological and physiological scales of each.

All-in-all…a decent reference guide.

[Bode Cauthon · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I’m sure the book was informative at the time, the book didn’t hold my interest as so many have done before it.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great reference book for aromatherapy and casual use of essential oils. It includes an instructional portion that helps the beginner understand the basics of aromatherapy, perfumery, beauty aids, massage, etc. There is a section on various common ailments that can be benefitted by essential oils. For each ailment, there is a description of symptoms, possible causes and lists the essntial oils that would benefit that ailment and what methods of use would be best perscribed. And there is a section that details the properties, uses and contraindications for each of the 65 oils this book covers.

I gave this one only 4 stars because I wish I had a more recently revised version of this book. Though I didn't find any information that was contrary to what I know about aromatherapy, my personal knowlege is still pretty limited and I'd like to know I can trust the information in my reference books to be modern and accurate. I will use this as a first reference in many cases and follow up on the information I find with my own personal research.

I love the way this book is set up. I can find the information I'm looking for quickly. It is very comprehensive and practical for everyday use. It is exactly the kind of resource I've been looking for on aromatherapy.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

has the same information as encyclopedia of essential oils, and then some. there is more detailed application information in a much more accessible layout. appears to cover similar oils, though i compared from memory. seems like a good, easy to use reference book.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little heavy on the tea tree oil, but otherwise a great resource.

[Bross]

Отличная книга

[Ann]

Complete Illustrated Guide to AROMATHERAPY by J. Lawless @1997 ISBN: 1852309873, LBS, 5/2012
Complete Illustrated Guide to AROMATHERAPY by J. Lawless @2002, ISBN: 007131089, PB, LBS, 1/2017, totally forgot I had bought the book!!!