[Avodah] Aromatherapy

[Shoshana L. Boublil]

> Subject: [Avodah] Aromatherapy

> There is no berakhah achronah on rei'ach, because the hana'ah from
> smells doesn't linger. Unlike food, which makes you feel less hungary and
> (hopefully) nourishes after you eat it.
>
> Well, there is a whole industry today of scents one can buy for the sole
> sake of their lingering effect. The intent is, for examples, to bring
> a calm or an alertness that lasts beyond the length of the candle /
> scented oil. (I am not saying this works or doesn't work; I never tried
> it. Perhaps it's a placebo effect -- but mah bein placebo le-actual in
> a case like this?)

Before discussing a b'racha, you have to define the issues.

Aromatherapy:
The use of aromatic plant extracts and essential oils for therapeutic 
purposes.
(Oxford dictionary)
(you can also check Aromatherapy on wikipedia).

The therapy uses essential oils, and scented compounds.

> Given this, why shouldn't a person smelling these aromas for this
> purpose be chayav to make a berakhah achronah? And if so, what would
> it be? Borei nefashos, and a poseiq in doubt would probably add: without
> sheim umalkhus?

Following the idea that Berakha Achrona is said b/c the food nourishes you, 
then indeed in this case the oils cause hana'ah and you may have a basis for 
a beracha.

But the basis of the idea is medicinal. Yes, the alertness and other results 
are medicinal in nature. BTW, they are not used just in candles, but also as 
part of massages and you can soak your feet in a bath with specific oils 
etc. Similar actually to the use of bathsalts.

So, while the selected oils are scented, and the scent is part of the 
treatment, it is more in the nature of a treatment, and I'm not aware of 
beracha achrona on medicine.

Shoshana L. Boublil