Aromatherapy: Therapy Basics

"At first glance this seem s to an excellent book for the NVQ VTCT course, but when reading through the material an unbelievable number of inaccuracies crop up in every chapter. It is also amazing how closely each section resembles sections from other well know publications, such as the introduction from the Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood and the Encyclopaedia of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless (in fact, these books are sourced in the very short bibliography). It can be supposed that someone has read these other publications and included vastly shortened versions in their own understanding into this guide. Unfortunately - those understandings can be construed to be totally lacking in comprehension or real understanding of the material and often confuses fiction with fact. This is most obvious in the chemistry section where most of the chemical representations depict the bonds in ether the wrong proportion or in the wrong place, where compounds are listed incorrectly under certain categories and processes are misunderstood and reported incorrectly.

Perhaps this can be explained by the attempt at compressing an incredible amount of information into a small volume and "dumbing" the material down for public consumption. But, in dumbing it down, they often change the meaning of certain facts and get it dreadfully wrong. The sheer amount of inaccuracies and paraphrasing makes this second edition unreliable to the professional or student depending on this as a resource. The opportunity to pass on incorrect information gained from this book is high and would be professionally troublesome.

A third edition where the mistakes were corrected would make this book an invaluable resource - but it is not there yet. I do not recommend this book to anyone."
~ Written on 2004-01-28

"I have found this book invaluable in helping me with my coursework for holistic therapies. I have recommended it to my fellow students and they have rated it too. Good layout, plenty of info on oils and communication skills/consultation/legislation/case studies etc."
~ Written on 2004-01-24

"I found this book after i had finished a course in Aromatherapy and felt absolutely gutted as it was a good book for any student starting out in Aromatherapy. It covered every aspect of Aromatherapy from beginning to end and it was written in an easily understandable context. I have used other books by this author and find them all extremely easy and very useful. I would definately recomend this as a students delight!"
~ Written on 2002-04-24

"The book follows the format of a course & is a good companion text book for students of aromatherapy. There are self-assessment questions after each chapter to help reinforce learning. It covers all of the basic topics including health & safety, blending oils, & business planning. One of the most useful chapters lists some of the most popular essential oils & their uses. The book would only really be of interest for newcomers to aromatherapy as it is too simplistic for anyone with prior knowledge. It is, however, a good starting point, although some people may find the "school book" style off-putting."
~ Written on 2002-03-20