In this episode of Essential Aromatica, Amy spends time with Dr. Nicole Bou Khalil to talk about the profound connection between humans and plants. They explore the importance of spending time outdoors, observing plants, and understanding our interconnectedness with nature--as deeply as the connection between people and where they live. Ah, and remember to keep your “child soul.”
Let’s get clinical first, then get into the weeds. In 2019, Dr. Bou Khalil trained hospital staff on integrating clinical aromatherapy into operations, sparking curiosity and interest among many, despite initial skepticism. She emphasizes that aromatherapy goes beyond spa treatments, highlighting Lebanon’s rich history of plant-based medicine. Dr. Bou Khalil advocates for understanding aromatherapy’s benefits and recognizing that it cannot be directly compared to evidence-based medicine due to its unique nature. As she succinctly summarized; nature is not standardized.
Further into the conversation, Dr. Bou Khalil shares the challenges faced by Lebanese growers and distillers after the financial crisis. Everything became costly, rent went up, continuous power was not always available. Organic certification and GCMS testing became cost prohibitive. Some people came from the outside and took advantage of the hardship many growers and distillers faced by imposing cheap prices on high quality essential oils such as Rose and Neroli. There’s a bright side though, as Dr. Bou Khalil has an initiative to reconnect Lebanese essential oils with the global market. This is on a deep level: know your growers and distillers. There’s a depth to oils that are made by people that are connected with their land and sense of place. Hearing her talk makes me wish I was in Lebanon with the Cedars, Roses, Bitter Orange trees and Myrtle!
These hardships highlight a critical part of the overall essential oil industry and sustainability: some people create beautiful essential oils that express “the soul of the land” even if they cannot afford continual GCMS analysis, to continue offering organic certification or don’t have reliable access to electricity. Would we rather have sad, cheap oils or oils created from a sense of place, with integrity?
Nicole shared how one of her French aromatherapy teachers once said that “aromatherapy is nothing but bliss”. These words deeply resonated with her, and they have with me. Nicole shares that if she didn’t have her aromatherapy practice, if it wasn’t a part of her whole life, she wasn’t sure how she would have coped during the Beirut Port explosion. The oils, Rose and Neroli, helped her; also, reaching out to the international aromatherapy community gave her a lot of support. The plants around you support you. She mentions the old, noble Cedars of Lebanon that grow high in the mountains; how they are symbols of strength, of the people of the land; they are symbols that the Lebanese people have the strength to go on.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did—I even teared up at the end. Want to connect with Dr. Nicole BK? See links below for different ways to get in-touch. And remember, Aromatherapy is nothing but bliss.
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nicole-boukhalil/
Instagram: aromatherapy_dr.nicole_bk
Facebook: Aromatherapy Dr. Nicole BK
Email: boukhalil.nicole@gmail.com
