About Us

Why Botanica? | Why Dublin? | The Organiser | The Support Team

Why Botanica2012?

The field of clinical aromatherapy is a rapidly evolving profession in many countries around the world. This continuing integration into health care settings has reached a point where it is now imperative to share information, present results and showcase the potential of essential oils and related herbal remedies across a range of clinical environments.

To date there has been no formal international gathering of experts within northern Europe to share these findings, forge new treatment strategies and plan future integration.

In European countries such as France and Germany, aromatherapy is viewed as a branch of herbal medicine, also known as phytotherapy –with much shared tradition and experience in the use of herbal preparations such as essential oils, vegetable oils, hydrolats and herbal tinctures.

Elsewhere in the world, the two professions are often regarded as distinct and self contained; here there is a growing need for greater collaboration between herbalists and aromatherapists to maximise therapeutic efficacy in their respective specialties.

It is with this awareness that botanica2012 was conceived: to be a celebration of plant therapeutics and clinical aromatherapy, bringing together all professionals who work with plants and their extracts in the therapeutic setting.

Herbalists, aromatherapists, naturopaths, researchers, university students, nurses and other health care professionals thus have a unique opportunity to come together at botanica2012 to:

Why Dublin?

The choice of Dublin as the location for this inaugural conference was based on several factors including:

The choice of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) as a venue was based on its reputation for educational excellence and its superb location in the city centre.

Other advantages of TCD as the ideal conference venue include:

Meet The Main Organiser

Botanica2012 is organised and hosted by Rhiannon Harris.

An experienced aromatherapist, educator, author and editor of the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy, Rhiannon has a longstanding and ongoing passion for plants, their extracts and their potentials for improving health and well being.

Her background in health care (nursing), education and publishing has enabled her to effectively share her knowledge, experience and skills with professionals working in diverse clinical settings around the world.

Rhiannon's main goal is to demonstrate measurable improvements in health and quality of life using evidence-based, safe, effective aromatic interventions.

Essentially, Rhiannon is:

Based in Provence, France, as director of Essential Oil Resource Consultants, Rhiannon hosts residential classes near her mountain home as well as travelling internationally to lecture on a range of subjects concerning clinical aromatherapy and essential oil science.

International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy is the only aromatherapy journal in the world with a clinical focus, taking an evidence-based approach to help and inspire practitioners to use essential oils and related products in a range of healthcare settings. IJCA is a main sponsor of botanica2012.

Meet The Support Team for Botanica 2012

Rhiannon is supported in the organisation and running of the conference by a team of conference ambassadors based in different countries. Acting as local points of contact for delegates as well as helping promote the event, this team provides an invaluable link between the main organiser and the event itself. Participants are encouraged to get in touch directly with their local conference ambassador:

All ambassadors and will be attending botanica2012 to assist with the smooth running of the event. In addition to the conference ambassadors, Rhiannon is supported by an enthusiastic team of Irish aromatherapists.

Find Your Local Ambassador