Books on Aromatherapy and Essential Oils

We have read and reviewed many books and guides on aromatherapy and essential oils. These are some of the best resources we’ve found. All of them have been reviewed personally by herbBee’s site editors and we feel each stands out as providing valuable content. As editors, and users of essential oils, we are very conservative in our approach and our recommendations so you won’t find every book on the topic listed here. As educated users, we also recommend not relying on any one source for your information and instead seeking out information from various trusted sources — this is what herbBee strives to do as well.

Note: The links to the books below are affiliate links that allow herbBee to earn money on qualifying purchases and support this site.

• Alternative Health Therapies: The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Massage, and Reflexology
  Denise Whichello Brown and Sandra White
  ISBN 186160422X (2001 edition)
  “Alternative Health Therapies discusses the origins and principles of the ancient healing arts of aromatherapy, massage and reflexology. Today, these treatments are widely recognized as relaxing and beneficial ways to optimize physical health and enhance mental and emotional well-being.”
• Aromatherapy (Complementary Health)
  Vivian Lunny, MD
  ISBN 0765199556
  “This book offers expert advice on over 30 essential oils and their therapeutic uses, aromatherapy massage techniques and strokes, relaxation and reducing stress levels, treating medical conditions and sports injuries, beauty treatments and skin preparations.”
• Aromatherapy for Common Ailments (Gaia Series)
  Shirley Price
  ISBN 0671731343
  “With step-by-step instructions and beautiful color photographs, Aromatherapy for Common Ailments shows how to apply twelve of the most versatile essential oils to treat more than forty common health problems…”
• Aromatherapy for Women: Aromatic Essential Oils for Natural Healing
  Shirley Price
  ISBN 0754806707
• Aromatherapy Workbook: A Complete Guide to Understanding and Using Essential Oils
  Shirley Price
  ISBN 0722526458
  “…this book has been written for those who wish to delve deeper into the world of aromatherapy. It includes extraction methods for obtaining essential oils, the nature of different carrier oils, therapeutic oils versus perfume oils, plant families and the therapeutic qualities of their essential oils, the chemistry of essential oils, the relationship between components of essential oils and their effects on the body, how to use essential oils for health, pleasure and enjoyment, safety of and contraindications for essential oils.”
• The Art of Aromatherapy: The Healing and Beautifying Properties of the Essential Oils of Flowers and Herbs
  Robert B. Tisserand
  ISBN 0892810017
  A classic and still revelent resource. “In The Art of Aromatherapy, twenty-nine essences are described in detail, with a list of their properties and applications. Tables of evaporation rate and odor intensity are provided along with a complete glossary of medical terms and a therapeutic index that lists more than one hundred illnesses and the essential oils used in treating them.”
• The Book of Practical Aromatherapy
  William H. Lee & Lynn Lee
  ISBN 978-0879835392
  “In this serviceable guide to aromatherapy, Bill and Lynn Lee show how sense of smell evokes powerful effects throughout the body and discuss the range of therapeutic effect of plant oils and the diseases each can alleviate; give recipes for home-prepared potions and unguents, and explore the use of the essential oils for relaxation and regeneration as massage and bath adjuncts.”
• The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
  Valerie Ann Worwood
  ISBN 0931432820
• The Complete Guide To Herbal Medicines
  Charles W. Fetrow and Juan R. Avila
  ISBN 0743400704
• Complete Holistic Care and Healing for Horses: The Owner’s Veterinary Guide to Alternative Methods and Remedies
  Mary L. Brennan, DVM with Norma Eckroate
  ISBN 978-1570762796
  “This book is a must for everyone who cares about the quality of life and well-being of horses. Based on her extensive experience as a horsewoman and holistic veterinarian, Mary L. Brennan, DVM has compiled an in-depth reference to help you incorporate alternative health care info your horse management practices.” (Along with containing information on aromatherapy treatments, the book also addresses acupuncture, acupressure, bach flower remedies, chiropractic care, herbs, homeopathy, lasers, magnetic therapy, and massage.)
• Crabtree & Evelyn Fragrant Herbal: Enhancing Your Life With Aromatic Herbs and Essential Oils
  Lesley Bremness
  ISBN 0821224719
  Includes A-Z guide of aromatic herbs and essential oils.
• Encyclopedia of Healing Therapies
  Anne Woodham and Dr. David Peters
  ISBN 078941984X
  “Authoritatively written by a respected health author with a leading doctor and complementary practitioner, in conjunction with a team of specialists.”
• The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants: A Practical Reference Guide to over 550 Key Herbs and Their Medicinal Uses
  Andrew Chevallier
  ISBN 0789410672
  “Illustrated Index of Medicinal Plants – Profiles more than 550 key medicinal plants, systematically detailing their history, cultivation, properties, and traditional and current uses.”
• Essence & Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume
  Mandy Aftel
  ISBN 978-1586857028
  “In Essence & Alchemy, Mandy Aftel unearths a forgotten world of natural essences and its profound resonance with body, mind, and spirit.”
• Essential Aromatherapy: A Pocket Guide to Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
  Susan Worwood
  ISBN 188003266X
• The Essential Oils Book: Creating Personal Blends for Mind & Body
  Colleen K. Dodt
  ISBN 0882669133
• Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals
  Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young
  ISBN 0443062412
  Contains “400 comprehensive essential oil profiles and almost 4000 references.”
• Flower Power: Flower Remedies for Healing Body and Soul Through Herbalism, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, and Flower Essences
  Anne McIntyre (Henry Holt Reference Book)
  ISBN 0805042164
• Healing Gardens: Aromatherapy, Feng Shui, Holistic Gardening, Herbalism, Color Therapy, Meditation
  Romy Rawlings
  ISBN 978-1572232082
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils
  Julia Lawless
  ISBN 1566199905
• Making Soaps & Scents: Soaps, Shampoos, Perfumes & Splashes You Can Make At Home
  Catherine Bardey
  ISBN 1579120598
• A Modern Herbal (Volume 1, A-H): The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees with Their Modern Scientific Uses
  Margaret Grieve
  ISBN 978-0486227986
• A Modern Herbal (Volume 2, I-Z and Indexes)
  Margaret Grieve
  ISBN 978-0486227993
• The New Guide to Remedies (New Guide to Remedies/Therapies)
  Parragon Publishing
  ISBN 0752585231
• The Practice of Aromatherapy
  Dr. Jean Valnet
  ISBN 0852071434
• Tea Tree Oil: A Medicine Kit in a Bottle
  Susan Drury
  ISBN 0852072384
  “Tea Tree Oil is one of the most marvellous healing resources that Nature has to offer. This book presents, in a very readable and accessible way, not only the history and harvesting of Tea Tree Oil but also an overview of its practical medical uses.”

Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years. Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth. -Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses

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