Can anyone recommend a good encyclopedia-type book on gemstones and/or aromathrapy?

Question

I'm looking for informative, non-fiction, encyclopedia-type books on gemstones and aromatherapy:

their backgrounds, origins, healing powers etc.

I'm not a very spiritual person so I'd prefer something a little more scientific (as in, "rocks and gems are made up of ions and so are our bodies" type thing)

This is a new intrest of mine so any suggestions and reviews would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Answer 1

For aromatherapy Kurt Schnabelt is your guy. He breaks down the chemical constituents of each essential oil and why it works.

Advanced Aromatherapy: The Science of Essential Oil Therapy

http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Aromather...

Answer 2

good luck with the "non fiction" part of your quest.

Answer 3

For the books on gemstones, I think your best bet is to go to a bookshop or look on amazon.co.uk or amazon.com and choose a book which appeals to you.

All my best ones are Danish, written by Jette Holm. You may find translations in English.

I do not recommend at all the books by Katrina Raphaell which are tough to read and contain no illustrations.

For aromatherapy I will without hesitation recommend:

"Nerys Purchon's Handbook of Aromatherapy"

by Nerys Purchon

You also have a very useful small book containing lots of colour-coded information. It is:

Aromatherapy - Essential Oils in colour

by Rosemary Caddy

All the best!

Answer 4

non-fiction books on gemstones and aromatherapy?

These things are fictional, so such books don't exist.

Answer 5

If you want a Non-fiction book on gemstones there is the "National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Rocks and Minerals".

As far as healing powers, there is "Love Is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals"

Aromatherapy, is more in the psychology section.

Answer 6

the book of stones by robert simmons and naisha ahsian. there is a piece about each stone that gives the geological information like hardness and how they are found and where. then both authors, and sometimes a sub, give a good metaphysical history of uses. one of them even gets down to where the stones are most beneficially placed on the body.

the metaphysical part of the book is still pretty rational and scientific sounding, not frilly or hippie at all. i looked high and low for a book like this, the other books are a little bit fluffy for me. but this is the perfect blend of science and "magic" lol  

as far as aromatherapy, let me know, because i'm still looking. google is pretty good for aromatherapy, better than looking for gem information anyway.  

Answer 7

Well, a basic online encyclopedia is http://www.encyclopaedicnet.com.  You could find information on gemstones but obviously it isn't specialized... I hope this helps!