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Everybody that uses essential oils has some experience with Lavender. Often, its the first essential oil you might come in contact with. It was the the oil, in fact, that began the modern practice of aroma-medicine. It has so many excellent properties, it’s even been called “a medicine chest in a bottle”. And it’s been the subject of a significant amount of laboratory research, which has validated most of the actions which alternative medicine practitioners have associated with it. Now, the latest published data has made some remarkable claims about the oil, which has the potential to help many people who may not yet have any experience with aromatherapy.
The overall action of Lavender oil is both calming and regenerating. It’s a profound effect, as our bodies need to be relieved of stress in order to heal, and lead healthy lives in general. The sweet smell alone bestows calm on folks of all ages; from the little ones all wound up when it’s time for bed, to the wizened generation whom may be recovering from illness, loss, or general fatigue. It has done the same for lab rats, hamsters and mice in research laboratories (we do not condone the testing of any essential oil on animals — yet these studies have been performed and the data is worth discussing).
The wonderful aspect of the stress-relieving action of Lavender is that it’s so easy to make use of the oil this way. For personal use, you only need to inhale deeply from a bottle, or dab a couple drops on your wrists to get a little whiff of the scent now and then. For the home, family, or workplace, there are several styles of essential oil diffusers available which release aroma into the air. Any diffuser style will work for stress reduction; it just takes a hint of the aroma in the air to have its effect.
Now, science is finally affirming the positive results of ingesting Lavender essential oil. This is a wonderful confirmation of the efficacy of the medicine that essential oils really are. Inhalation clearly works by interacting with the olfactory sense, which is tied to the limbic system and hippocampus. The result of stress reduction through inhalation has always been thought to be a response from the “emotional center” of our brains, telling the rest of our body that we can calm down, and “all is well”. Yet the possibility of our physiology responding to the oil actually floating around in our bloodstream has been casually ignored. In this case however, the oil is not being smelled at all, yet is manifesting all of its reputed anti-stress actions.
This latest research (abstracts of all research referenced in this article are available through pubmed.gov) was an evaluation of a new capsule containing 80mg of the essential oil (the equivalent of about 2 drops of oil). Study participants took one capsule daily for ten weeks, and came in every two weeks for an assessment of their mental, emotional and physical well-being. The primary focus was whether the Lavender capsule was effective at treating “non-syndromal” anxiety, which essentially means anxiety that isn’t so serious as to be all-consuming of one’s life. The results were impressive: under every evaluation technique or scale used in the study, the Lavender capsule outperformed the placebo. Participants were less stressed, slept deeper, and had better health and well-being overall.
In addition to testing whether ingesting the Lavender capsules was more effective than a placebo, the Vienna researchers also compared the capsules to a common prescription anti-anxiety drug. Impressively, the essential oil worked just as well as the drug, but without the sedative side effects — which are troublesome not only because of the drowsiness, but because of the potential for substance abuse. It becomes perfectly clear that the home practitioner can now benefit from Lavender essential oil in this way by simply ingesting a couple of drops a day — either “neat” (though it doesn’t have the greatest flavor in the world), in a cellulose capsule, or mixed with a beverage such as orange juice.
Previous research that has focused on the aroma has also produced statistically significant results. In two separate placebo-controlled trials, participants in common stressful situations were exposed to Lavender aroma. One study examined the response of people waiting to have their teeth worked on, and others were about to take a major exam. In both cases, the essential oil resulted in reports of lower anxiety.
In a more medically oriented trial, patients were exposed to Lavender essential oil vapor immediately after surgery. Impressively, it was found that, among patients exposed to the aroma, fewer required pain relieving drugs at all, and those that did required less of them.
Hopefully this has been a convincing review of the benefits of Lavender essential oil! Particularly in this day and age, with the incredible amount of stress many people are exposed to on a daily basis, this readily available, inexpensive (and great smelling) essential oil may be a worthwhile addition to your lifestyle, and perhaps to your home and work environment as well.
The author has made available reports on specific anti-microbials such as tea tree and other therapeutic essential oils.
