Egyptians and Essential Oils

The Egyptians may have been the first to discover the potential of fragrance.  They created various aromatic blends, both for personal use and for ceremonies performed in the temples and pyramids.

The Egyptians were masters in using essential oils and other aromatics in the embalming process.  Historical records indicate that one of the founders of “pharaonic” medicine was the architect Imhotep, who was the Grand Vizier of King Djoser (2780 – 2720 B.C.).  Imhotep is often given credit for ushering in the use of oils, herbs and aromatic plants for medicinal purposes.

Temple graphic depicting the medicinal use of aromatic oils in Egypt.

Hieroglyphics on the walls of Egyptian temples depict the blending of oils and describe hundreds of oil recipes.  A sacred room in the Temple of Isis, on the island of Philae, depicts the “Cleansing the Flesh and Blood of Evil Deities”, an emotional clearing ritual that required three days of cleansing using essential oils.

An ancient papyrus found in the Temple of Edfu contained medicinal formula and perfume recipes, used by alchemists and high priests, in blending aromatic substances for rituals.

Oils used in the temples were commonly poured into evaporation dishes for fragrancing the chambers associated with sacred rituals and religious rites.

Well before the time of Christ, the ancient Egyptians collected essential oils and placed them in alabaster vessels.  These vessels were specially carved and shaped for housing scented oils.

Essential oils and ancient Egypt and King Tut’s tomb

Alabaster jar recovered from Egyptian tomb.

In 1922, when King Tut’s tomb was opened, some 50 alabaster jars designed to hold 350 liters of oils were discovered.  While tomb robbers had stolen nearly all of the precious oils, some of the jars still contained oil traces.  The robbers chose oils over a literal king’s ransom in glittering gold, showing how valuable fragrant essential oils were to this ancient civilization.

In 1817, the Ebers Papyrus, a medical scroll over 870 feet long, was discovered.  Dating back to 1500 B.C., the scroll included over 800 different herbal prescriptions and remedies.  Other scrolls described a high success rate in treating 81 different diseases.  Many mixtures contained myrrh and honey.  Myrrh  is still recognized for its ability to help with infections of the skin and throat, and to regenerate skin tissue.  Because of its effectiveness in preventing bacterial growth, myrrh was also used for embalming.

Perhaps the people of ancient times had a greater understanding of essential oils than we have today.

Aromatics used in cosmetics in Egypt

Many ancient cosmetic formulas were created from a base of goat fat.  Ancient Egyptians formulated eyeliners, eyeshadows and other cosmetics this way.  They also stained their hair and nails with a variety of ointments and perfumes.  They probably used the same aromatic oils that were used in the temples.

Aromatic Spiritual Connection

The ancient Egyptians believed that the sense of smell and ability to detect odors was the most important of our sensory abilities. The considered the sense of smell far more important than sight or even the ability to think. That was because they knew the importance of odors to increase our intrinsic “frequency” and transform us. The utchat pendant shown here, found on the mummy of Tutankhamen, depicts the alchemy of spiritual nourishment both in the afterlife and in the created world. This is the Eye of Ra, symbolizing the Sun and solar energies. It is flanked by Nekhebet the Vulture of Upper Egypt (female intuitive consciousness that becomes pregnant by the Wind) and the Cobra of Lower Egypt (masculine intellectual consciousness that creates existence from duality). Together, the Vulture and Cobra make up the diadem (Third Eye) crown of the pharaohs.

The physical eye is the part of the body able to perceive light and is therefore the symbol for spiritual abilities and energy. Egyptian texts that describe the Eye of Ra, portray it in terms of “eating” or absorbing spiritual “food” through the various senses. The senses are ordered according to their importance and how much energy must be “eaten” for an individual to receive a particular sensation or utilize the energy. In this scheme, all sensory data input is considered “food” on the spiritual level. In fact, the amount of spiritual energy derived from this metaphysical feasting is precisely expressed, and the construction of the Eye of Ra follows very definite laws. The parts of the sacred eye are assigned fractional values of the total spiritual nutrition available to us, which is 1 = 64/64 heqat. (The following sensory input channels total 63/64. According to legend, the missing 1/64^th is the magical and infinite yet hidden energy supplied by Thoth.) The basic measure of sensory eating is called the “ro” and is equal to one “mouthful.” 320 ro = 1 heqat or one “handful” of food from the sun. The energy intake is assigned as follows: 1/64 heqat = Energy of Touch (physical sensation symbolized by a stalk planted in the ground supporting the eye at the center); 1/32 heqat = Energy of Taste (symbolized by the curly grain or wheat sprout from comes from the planted stalk); 1/16 heqat = Energy of Hearing (symbolized by the left part of eye that points to ear, which absorbs vibration); 1/8 heqat = Energy of Thought (symbolized by the eyebrow that expresses thought and reacts to it); 1/4 heqat = Energy of Sight (symbolized by the pupil of eye that absorbs light images or crystallized thoughtforms). However, the most energy absorption available to the human is assigned to the nose. 1/2 heqat = Energy of Smell (symbolized by the right part of eye that points toward the nose). Smell, then, represents the subtlest sense of odor and intuition, which was the soul-centered “Intelligence of the Heart” to the Egyptians. Without this higher nourishment, our spirit starves, becomes weak, and eventually dies.

Egyptians and Essential Oils