Have you ever wondered hot the nose distinguishes between nice smells and terrible smells?

The process of smelling is called olfaction and is incredibly complicated, taking place in serveral areas of the brain including the limbic system which itself has approximately 34 structures and 53 pathways.

The limbic system is linked to the perception of odour, sensations of pleasure and pain, emotions like rage, fear, sadness and sexual feelings.

When we sniff a particular odour to distinguish it, molecules emitting from the substances travel through the air and enter the nose. There are 50 million smell receptors located at the top of the nasal cavity occupying an area the size of a small postage stamp. These slender nerve receptors called 'cilia' are connected to an organ called the olfactory bulb (bulbus olfactorius), which in turn is connected directly to the brain.

Aromatherapy is a perfect example of this, however the knowledge that smells can have a powerful effect on the mind has been known since ancient times. Precisely how this comes about however, is still not fully understood by a vast amount of modern research.