Does Aromatherapy Work on You ?

I know some of you still doubt about aromatherapy and to make it worse, recently there are Researchers at Ohio State University found that lemon and lavender oil had no physiological effect on study subjects, despite lemon's reputation as a stimulant and lavender's as a sleep aid.

The researchers chose lemon and lavender since they were two of the most popular scents tied to aromatherapy. Recently, two other studies focused on these same two scents.

This is how they do :

56 person ( men and women )took part in three half-day sessions where they were exposed to both scents.Participants were monitored for blood pressure and heart rate during the experiments, and the researchers took regular blood samples from each volunteer.

Researchers taped cotton balls laced with either lemon oil, lavender oil or distilled water below the volunteers’ noses for the duration of the tests.

The result said that lemon oil showed a clear mood enhancement, lavender oil did not. Neither smell had any positive impact on any of the biochemical markers for stress, pain control or wound healing.

Further reading on this research can be found here

The results of the study didn’t daunt Kathy Keville, a noted aromatherapist and author of a dozen books on the subject, including “Aromatherapy for Dummies.”

She didn’t dispute the science of the Glasers’ work, but she said that any of the more than 200 essential oils she uses regularly might have led to different results. Applying the essential oils topically instead of simply sniffing might also have produced different effects.

It would be unfair to conclude that aromatherapy doesn’t work based on the results of even a rigorous single study, Keville said. Aromatherapy may not be a cure for specific illnesses or pain, but it’s a great adjunct therapy, she added.

For this comment I agree. I myself have experience some tremendous benefits when using aromatherapy. Just for examples, I would use eucalyptus for cold, or to reduce nausea I would use cajeput oil. And of course not to mention lavender for relaxation.

Do you feel the same with me? Does aromatherapy really work on you ? Share your comments here!

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