Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of plant- derived, aromatic essential oils to promote physical and psychological well-being. Aromatic plants have been utilised for their healing, preservative, and pleasurable qualities throughout recorded history in both the East and West. As early as 1500 BC the ancient Egyptians used waters, oils, incense, resins, and ointments scented with botanicals for their religious ceremonies. There is evidence that the Chinese may have recognised the benefits of herbal and aromatic remedies much earlier than this. The oldest known herbal text, Shen Nung’s Pen Ts’ao (c. 2700-3000 B.C.) catalogues over 200 botanicals. Ayurveda, a practice of traditional Indian medicine that dates back more than 2,500 years, also used aromatic herbs for treatment. The Romans were well known for their use of fragrances. They bathed with botanicals and integrated them into their state and religious rituals. So did the Greeks, with a growing awareness of the medicinal properties of herbs. Greek physician and surgeon Pedanios Dioscorides, whose prominent herbal text De Materia Medica (60 AD) was the standard textbook for Western medicine for 1,500 years, wrote extensively on the medicinal value of botanical aromatics.