Researchers in Germany have conducted a controlled study investigating the effects of lavender essential oil on anxiety disorders. Lavender has long been regarded for its soothing and balancing properties.
At the end of the ten-week study, the authors concluded that lavender significantly reduced the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores of patients who were treated with the essential oil and not a placebo.
Effectiveness of a Lavender Oil Preparation in Treating Anxiety Disorder
Kasper S, Gastpar M, Müller WE, et al. Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is effective in the treatment of ‘subsyndromal’ anxiety disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2010;25(5):277-287.
Excerpts:
“According to the authors, all clinical trials published to date that evaluated lavender as a treatment for anxiety were performed in highly specific patient populations (e.g., patients with a terminal illness, in intensive care, or who have situation provoked anxiety), and many of the studies were methodologically flawed. Hence, the purpose of this randomized, double-blind, placebo- controlled multicenter study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of an oral preparation of lavender essential oil.”
“At 10 weeks, the lavender group had a significant reduction in HAMA score compared with baseline (P < 0.001), but the placebo group did not. The lavender-treated patients had a total mean score decrease of 16.0 ± 8.3 points (59.3%) for the HAMA. In contrast, the placebo-treated patients had a decrease of 9.5 ± 9.1 points (35.4%) on HAMA. The anxiolytic effect of lavender was clinically detectable after 2 weeks of treatment and was statistically significant at week 4 and all later visits (P < 0.05). Extrapolating the HAMA total score time course beyond 10 weeks suggests that additional improvements might occur if treatment were to be continued beyond 10 weeks. Lavender treatment was superior to placebo regarding the percentage of responders (76.9% vs. 49.1%, P < 0.001) and remitters (60.6% vs. 42.6%, P = 0.009).
Sleep disturbances frequently accompany anxiety disorders. The lavender treatment had a significant beneficial influence on the patients’ duration and quality of sleep and reduced their daytime tiredness. The lavender-treated patients had a total mean score decrease of 5.5 ± 4.4 points (44.7%) on the PSQI, whereas the placebo-treated patients had a decrease of 3.8 ± 4.1 points (30.9%). The sleep improvement was detectable after 2 weeks of treatment and became statistically significant after 6 weeks of treatment (P ≤ 0.01).”
Click here to read more about the study.
In another study, lavender and orange essential oils combined and diffused reduced anxiety and stress in women at dentist office’s, read more.
Other Uses for Lavender Oil: 12 Quick Tips
In Love with Lavender by Gary Young
Working with Emotions: Your Shadow & Aromatherapy an eBook by Evelyn Vincent and David Zarza C.Ht.
Note: Unlike most other brands of aromatherapy essential oils Young Living’s essential oils are therapeutic-grade and those essential oils which are derived from edible plants are safe for ingestion (oral supplementation).
Evelyn Vincent
Articles by Evelyn Vincent, Young Living Independent Distributor #476766
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First, let’s take a look at why therapeutic-grade essential oils would have an effect on emotions. When a fragrance is inhaled, the odor molecules travel up the nose where they are trapped by olfactory membranes that are well protected by the lining inside the nose. Each odor molecule fits like a little puzzle piece into specific receptor cell sites that line a membrane known as the olfactory epithelium. Each one of these hundreds of millions of nerve cells is replaced every 28 days. When stimulated by odor molecules, this lining of nerve cells triggers electrical impulses to the olfactory bulb in the brain. The olfactory bulb then transmits the impulses to the gustatory center (where the sensation of taste is perceived), the amygdala (where emotional memories are stored), and other parts of the limbic system of the brain. Because the limbic system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance, essential oils can have profound physiological and psychological effects.
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