Since the opening of the account of the Aromatherapy Research Institute, we have brought you popular science about all aspects of TCM aromatherapy, from the scientific research of TCM aromatherapy to the life application of TCM aromatherapy, from the industry hotspots of TCM aromatherapy to the research and development of TCM aromatherapy products, but it seems that we have never formally introduced TCM aromatherapy to you. Maybe you are still a little vague about the concept of Chinese medicine aromatherapy, today I will take you to learn more about itWhat is TCM Aromatherapy?
Traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy is based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, with the help of the unique physiological and psychological effects of aromatic substances, the aromatic drugs are made into suitable dosage forms, and applied to the local or systemic through massage, external coating, moxibustion, incense, internal administration, etc., in order to prevent, ** or ** diseaseTraditional Nature**
Traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy began in the Xia Shang, became in the Qin and Han dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, emphasizing the overall grasp of the health state, focusing on individualization, highlighting the treatment of diseases, the curative effect is accurate, the first way is flexible, and the role of health care is prominentSimple, convenient, inexpensive, and veryIt has a wide range of clinical applications.
TCM aromatherapy has gone through a long process of development, from the origin of medicine to the accumulation of pure medical experience, and then through theoretical summary to form an academic system and constantly enrich and improve, it has also shown different development characteristics in different historical stages.
(1) The origin and accumulation of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy: from ancient times to the pre-Qin period
In ancient times, primitive people used plants as fuel when they roasted fires for warmth, cooking or lighting bonfires to prevent animals, and found that the aromatic smell emitted by plants when burning may have some effects after being smelled and inhaled, which slowly inspired primitive people, which may be the origin of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy.
During the Xia Shang and Zhou dynasties, there were records of the division of labor between full-time personnel of aromatic medicine and Chinese medicine aromatherapy, and the Zhou Dynasty had the Xi of incense and incense picking, and the "Zhou Li" had descriptions of the use of incense to control pests such as "mangweed lavender" and "burning peony chrysanthemum with ash". During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the experience of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy gradually became richer, and "Lisao" contains 44 kinds of herbs, most of which can be used for medicinal purposes; The "Classic of Mountains and Seas" also records that Peixiang can drive away diseases and prevent diseases, and at this time, wormwood is gradually accepted by the general public. 
The Palace Museum "Duanyang Story Map" - Collecting Medicine(2) The formation and development of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy: from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Jin and Tang dynasties
During the Qin and Han dynasties, traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy gradually rose from practice to theory. "Shennong's Materia Medica" is a collection of pharmacology before the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the whole book contains 365 kinds of drugs, of which aromatic drugs account for about 10%; During the Jin and Tang dynasties, foreign trade began to develop, and there were many foreign incense medicines that spread in, such as benzoin, dipteroscope, etc., at this time, aromatherapy also had a richer way of playing, such as incense ironing, incense pendants, incense pillows, etc., and incense recipes became more and more abundant.
The Palace Museum "Twelve Beauties" - wearing a sachet.
(3) Summary and improvement of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy - from the Song and Yuan dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties
From the Song and Yuan dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy has developed comprehensively and rapidly in both theory and clinical practice, and the varieties, methods, prescriptions, and theoretical development of incense medicines have become richer, and there are also institutions specializing in the management of incense medicines.
(4) Innovation of Chinese medicine aromatherapy - modern times, especially in the past two decades
With the continuous increase of national investment in scientific research, TCM aromatherapy has developed rapidly, not only widely used in clinical practice, but also carried out a large number of pharmacological and efficacy research, which has led to the rapid growth of the aromatherapy industry. At present, it has formed an industrial pattern of aromatic plant planting, deep processing of aromatic products and traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy health services, involving medicine, agriculture, forestry, daily chemical industry, education, tourism, transportation, operation and other fields; The application of aromatic products has also extended from traditional spa halls, beauty salons, medicine and health care, food and chemical industries to medical health care, natural food, sports and aroma equipment, education, genetic information and many other aspects.
The basic theory of aromatherapy in Chinese medicine is the accumulation, improvement and evolution of traditional Chinese medicine after thousands of years, mainly including:Holistic concept, dialectical argument and governanceand other basic characteristics, covering the five elements of yin and yang, Tibetan elephants, qi and blood spirit, pathogenesis, health prevention and treatment, etc.
The current theory system of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy is the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine theory, and the ancient and modern rhymes are based on the premise of the interrelationship between constitution, disease and syndrome, and on the basis of inheriting the traditional theory, technology and experience of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapyThe theoretical system of "incense, incense, incense, and incense".Make it systematic and scientific, and constantly innovate and develop the theory of aromatherapy of traditional Chinese medicine. At the same time, modern multidisciplinary technical methods are used to study aromatherapy-related technologies to form the manufacture of traditional Chinese medicine essential oilsThe key technical system of "seeking incense, extracting incense, stabilizing incense, making incense, and evaluating incense"., to achieve the perfect combination of traditional theoretical methods and modern science and technology, and finally formedTraditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy ten incense system.
Aromatic medicine, known as "aromatic medicine" in ancient times, is a general term for plant or animal medicine that has aroma and can be used to extract aromatic essential oils. Aromatic drugs are rich in chemical components, which are mainly divided into aromatic and non-aromatic components. Among them, non-aromatic components mainly include alkaloids, sugars, glycosides, quinones, flavonoids, tannins and other compounds; Aromatic components (hereinafter referred to as essential oils), also known as volatile oils, essential oils, and aromatic oils.
Essential oil is a general term for a class of volatile, distillable with steam and immiscible oily liquids present in aromatic medicines. Essential oil is the most representative component of aromatic medicine, with diverse biological activities, with cough, asthma, antibacterial, analgesic, antispasmodic, anti-cancer and stomach strengthening effects, etc., is widely used in medicine, food and cosmetics and other fields.
Aromatic drugs are the material basis of aromatherapy in traditional Chinese medicine, and commonly used aromatic drugs are mainly distributed inAnti-surface medicine, heat-clearing medicine, tranquilizing medicine, blood circulation and blood stasis medicine, qi regulating medicine, dampness medicine, opening medicine and warm medicineWait. Common aromatic drugs:Antidote:Asarum officinalis, Angelica dahurica, perilla leaves, Xinyi, Nepeta, Herbacea, ginger, chrysanthemum, mint, etc.; Heat-clearing medicine:peony skin, honeysuckle, Artemisia annua, Houttuynia cordata, etc.; Tranquilizer:Acacia flowers, daidai flowers (lime blossoms), gardenias, jujube kernels, cypress kernels, etc.; Blood circulation and blood stasis medicine:Chuanxiong, turmeric, frankincense, myrrh, angelica, etc.; Qi regulating medicine:agarwood, sandalwood, citron, tangerine peel, etc.; Dehumidifiers:Atractylodes, Magnolia, Sand Kernel, Patchouli, Peilan, etc.; Enlightenment Medicine:calamus, borneol, musk, benzoin, suhexiang, etc.; Wen Li Yao:Cinnamon, cloves, cumin, mugwort leaves, etc. 
The raw materials of aromatherapy products are the basis for the preparation of aromatherapy products, and their quality is directly related to the application effect of aromatherapy products, and directly affects the cost of aromatherapy products and the economic benefits of producers, and occupies an important position in the production practice of aromatherapy products. The types of raw materials for aromatherapy products mainly include volatile oil, extract, net oil, oleoresin, balm, balm, hydrosol, base oil, etc., and volatile oil is the main raw material of aromatherapy products. Volatile oil:Also known as essential oil, it is an oily substance with a certain aroma and volatility extracted from aromatic plants by physical methods such as distillation, pressing, extraction or adsorption. Extract:It refers to the paste substance obtained by extracting and concentrating aromatic plant tissues without exudate with organic solvents. In addition to containing essential oils, the extract also contains a considerable amount of impurities such as vegetable wax and pigment, and the extract is mostly dark paste or wax at room temperature. Net Oil:Refers to the ethanol extract of plant extract (or balm, fragrance resin, essential oil). Oleoresin:It refers to a resinous product containing volatile oil that uses appropriate solvents to extract the aroma and taste components from the raw materials of spices and spices, and then distills the solvent**. Its components mainly include volatile oils, spicy ingredients, pigments, resins and some non-volatile oils and polysaccharide compounds. Hydrosol:It is a condensed aqueous solution obtained by distillation of aromatic plants. In addition to a small amount of volatile oils, hydrosols also contain water-soluble substances (such as flavonoids, tannins, etc.) in all plants. Balsam:It refers to the use of adsorption method to apply refined animal fat or refined vegetable oil to absorb the saturated fat or oil substances in the aromatic components of aromatic medicinal materials. Resin:It is divided into natural resin and processed resin. Natural resin refers to the solid or semi-solid state formed by the oxidation of terpenoids exuding from the plant, and processed resin refers to the product after removing the volatile oil in the natural resin. Base Oil:It is a non-volatile oil extracted from plant seeds, flowers, rhizomes or fruits, which lubricates the skin, can be used directly on the skin massage, and is the best base oil for diluting volatile oils. 
There are many kinds of traditional Chinese medicine incense, and its way is mainly through the aromatic qi and ability of aromatic drugs, mainly external treatment, absorbed into the body through the body surface and olfactory organs, and transported to the blood circulation and nervous system, so as to play a role in the health preservation, health care and other effects. Among them, the application of essential oils is the most common, and the curative effect is certain.
Four common ways to use essential oils:
Tuina:Pushing, rubbing, rubbing, kneading, pinching, pressing, stroking, smashing, holding.
SniffingDirect sniffing, pillow sniffing, incense, steaming.
Bathing method: Full body bath, partial bath.
Wet compress:Hot and cold compresses.
In addition to this, it also includes:Gargle, shampoo, tamponade, aromatic salt, spray, foodWait a minute.
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In recent years, the state attaches great importance to the development of traditional Chinese medicine, insists on elevating the revival and inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine to the national strategy, and gives policy promotion as an important part of the healthy China strategy. **In the "Healthy China 2030" Planning Outline, it is mentioned that by 2030, the leading role of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention of diseases, the synergistic role in major diseases, and the core role in diseases will be fully exerted.
TCM aromatherapy has been used for more than 3,000 years, and has a wealth of traditional theories, traditional methods, classic prescriptions and traditional incense products. And the volatile oil of traditional Chinese medicine has:The molecule is small, the dosage is small, and the toxicity is smallfeatures: High volatility, high permeability, high fat solubility,It is easy to enter the body through the ** and olfactory system, and has unique ** advantages for chronic diseases such as depression, insomnia, and pain.
Traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy uses small molecule volatile oils as the main carrier, which is driving the development of a huge industry. In recent years, the demand for TCM aromatherapy industry has continued to be strong, the scale has been growing, the ecosystem has been continuously optimized, and the industrial development has ushered in a good opportunity for time, place, and people. According to data from the China Research Institute of Puhua Industry Research Institute, the market size of China's natural plant essential oil industry will reach 105 in 2022800 million, which is expected to reach 183 in 2026600 million. The scale of China's plant essential oil market is gradually expanding, and the overall development speed of the industry is relatively fast.
In addition, with the upgrading of consumption, the health awareness of the population has increased, and the form of health services has also changed from "medical type" to "medical treatment-prevention-health care type".Medical care, health care, daily chemicals, beauty, tourism, educationand other industries and occasions have been widely used. It is believed that by giving full play to the characteristic advantages of TCM aromatherapy and accelerating the development of the TCM aromatherapy industry, TCM aromatherapy will be able to shine in the future.
References: 1] Traditional Chinese Medicine Aromatherapy [M].Yang ming. China Publishing House of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 2018
2] Yang Ming, Xue Xiao, Li Huiting, et al. Research on the development status and countermeasures of traditional Chinese medicine aromatherapy industry[J].Journal of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2021,33(02):114-119