HSC 300 Final Exam Questions with Verified
Answers |2026/2027 Update | A+ Graded
Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Slides - Answer -Slides
Aromatherapy - Answer -"Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles
and all the years we live." Helen Keller
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils of plants to heal the body, mind and spirit.
It is an off-shoot of herbal medicine with the basis of action the same as that of modern
pharmacology
The essential oils are absorbed into the body, resulting in physiological or psychological benefit
Aromatherapy is used to treat symptoms and as such has neither a theory of health and illness
nor a system of diagnosis. If it did - only doctors could prescribe them!
Science agrees that scents have the power to evoke strong physical and emotional reactions
Healthy humans can smell as many as 10000 different odors.
Aromatherapy is a billion dollar a year industry!
1|Page
,You do not need a license to practice aromatherapy - Answer -Aromatherapy has been around
for years. It was said that during great plaques around the world, those who often handled
spices for preparation, sale and to ship them were all immune to the disease
Almost all ancient culture recognized the value of aromatic plants in maintaining health
Priests and physicians used oils thousands of years before Christ.
The Ebers Papyrus dates back to 1500 BC and mentions over 800 different formulas and herbal
prescription remedies
Many of these were for prevention, as well as for treatment
The Romans bathed with essential oils
ancient Egyptians used oils to protect their skin from the sun
Egyptians also were the first to perfect embalming using aromatic plants and oils.
In the twelfth century trades routes from the middle east introduced spices, herbs, and exotic
scents to Europe, leading the compilation of many books on therapeutic plant remedies
Hippocrates - Answer -"The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage
every day"
Although oils were used with great effectiveness in ancient times, they were largely forgotten by
the Western World
2|Page
,Aromatherapy and essential oils had a "re-birth" in 1920.
A French cosmetic chemist, Maurice-Rene Cattefoose had an accident in his lab that caused
third degree burns on his hand and arm.
Thinking he was dipping his arm in water, he accidentally dipped it into a vat of lavender oil,
thinking it was water
To his surprise, the burning stopped immediately and as he kept putting lavender on the area,
the burn healed completely without even a scar over the next few weeks.
After this incident, he studied oils to cure burns, treat wounds, and prevent gangrene. In 1937
he coined the term aromatherapy
Lavender - Answer -Lavender has many purposes. Lavender has a very relax smell to it.
Aching muscles, menstrual cramps, acne, bug repellent, cuts & wounds, sunburns (add to water
and spray on in a mist)
How they work
Inside the human nose is a small cavity called a vomero nasal organ
The VMO is far less prominent in people as in animals who depend on scent for guidance
The VMO detects scents without our body realizing it, and these scents cause specific reactions
in our body (endorphins, hormones, etc.)
3|Page
, Did you know that newborns can locate their mothers by her scent? - Answer -Unlike vision and
hearing, the sense of smell is full functional at birth
The amygdala of the limbic system, which stores and releases emotional memories is most
sensitive to odors and fragrances
Odors are powerful memory stimulants
Odors affect the pituitary and hypothalamus and thus impact the hormone regulatory systems
In addition to activating the central nervous system, inhaled oil molecules enter the respiratory
system
There they are attached to oxygen molecules and circulate throughout the body, bringing with
them the potential for activating the self-healing process.
Essential Oils - Answer -Most essential oils are distilled or cold pressed from the plant. Different
parts of the plants have been found useful for the most effective oils. Ex:
Leaves - eucalyptus, peppermint
Flowers - lavender, rose
Fruits - lemon, mandarin, orange
Grasses - lemon grass
Barks - cinnamon
In plants, the oils regulate the functions of the plant - so they act a lot like our hormone system
would.
Some oils protect the plant from a predator creating an unpleasant odor or an unpleasant taste
4|Page
Answers |2026/2027 Update | A+ Graded
Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Slides - Answer -Slides
Aromatherapy - Answer -"Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles
and all the years we live." Helen Keller
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils of plants to heal the body, mind and spirit.
It is an off-shoot of herbal medicine with the basis of action the same as that of modern
pharmacology
The essential oils are absorbed into the body, resulting in physiological or psychological benefit
Aromatherapy is used to treat symptoms and as such has neither a theory of health and illness
nor a system of diagnosis. If it did - only doctors could prescribe them!
Science agrees that scents have the power to evoke strong physical and emotional reactions
Healthy humans can smell as many as 10000 different odors.
Aromatherapy is a billion dollar a year industry!
1|Page
,You do not need a license to practice aromatherapy - Answer -Aromatherapy has been around
for years. It was said that during great plaques around the world, those who often handled
spices for preparation, sale and to ship them were all immune to the disease
Almost all ancient culture recognized the value of aromatic plants in maintaining health
Priests and physicians used oils thousands of years before Christ.
The Ebers Papyrus dates back to 1500 BC and mentions over 800 different formulas and herbal
prescription remedies
Many of these were for prevention, as well as for treatment
The Romans bathed with essential oils
ancient Egyptians used oils to protect their skin from the sun
Egyptians also were the first to perfect embalming using aromatic plants and oils.
In the twelfth century trades routes from the middle east introduced spices, herbs, and exotic
scents to Europe, leading the compilation of many books on therapeutic plant remedies
Hippocrates - Answer -"The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage
every day"
Although oils were used with great effectiveness in ancient times, they were largely forgotten by
the Western World
2|Page
,Aromatherapy and essential oils had a "re-birth" in 1920.
A French cosmetic chemist, Maurice-Rene Cattefoose had an accident in his lab that caused
third degree burns on his hand and arm.
Thinking he was dipping his arm in water, he accidentally dipped it into a vat of lavender oil,
thinking it was water
To his surprise, the burning stopped immediately and as he kept putting lavender on the area,
the burn healed completely without even a scar over the next few weeks.
After this incident, he studied oils to cure burns, treat wounds, and prevent gangrene. In 1937
he coined the term aromatherapy
Lavender - Answer -Lavender has many purposes. Lavender has a very relax smell to it.
Aching muscles, menstrual cramps, acne, bug repellent, cuts & wounds, sunburns (add to water
and spray on in a mist)
How they work
Inside the human nose is a small cavity called a vomero nasal organ
The VMO is far less prominent in people as in animals who depend on scent for guidance
The VMO detects scents without our body realizing it, and these scents cause specific reactions
in our body (endorphins, hormones, etc.)
3|Page
, Did you know that newborns can locate their mothers by her scent? - Answer -Unlike vision and
hearing, the sense of smell is full functional at birth
The amygdala of the limbic system, which stores and releases emotional memories is most
sensitive to odors and fragrances
Odors are powerful memory stimulants
Odors affect the pituitary and hypothalamus and thus impact the hormone regulatory systems
In addition to activating the central nervous system, inhaled oil molecules enter the respiratory
system
There they are attached to oxygen molecules and circulate throughout the body, bringing with
them the potential for activating the self-healing process.
Essential Oils - Answer -Most essential oils are distilled or cold pressed from the plant. Different
parts of the plants have been found useful for the most effective oils. Ex:
Leaves - eucalyptus, peppermint
Flowers - lavender, rose
Fruits - lemon, mandarin, orange
Grasses - lemon grass
Barks - cinnamon
In plants, the oils regulate the functions of the plant - so they act a lot like our hormone system
would.
Some oils protect the plant from a predator creating an unpleasant odor or an unpleasant taste
4|Page
