Aromatherapy found to be ineffective

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

American scientists debunk another myth. This time, ruthless researchers argue that the miraculous properties of such a pleasant procedure as aromatherapy are greatly exaggerated. More precisely, no medicinal properties are observed at all.

For three days, the researchers attached a cotton ball soaked in lemon oil, lavender oil, or distilled water to 56 men and women under their noses. All participants had their blood pressure and pulse measured regularly, and blood samples were taken for analysis. To assess their mood, special psychological tests were carried out.

In recent decades, aromatherapy has been widely used as a means of psychological relaxation, but according to experts, there is no scientific evidence for the medical effects of oils and fragrances on well-being. In some cases, even distilled water as a placebo has been better at helping the body than lavender, experts conclude.

The rate of wound healing was assessed using a test with a strip of adhesive plaster, after removal of which small defects of the epithelium remained. To determine pain sensitivity, volunteers immersed their feet in ice water. To assess the effect of aromatherapy on immunity, study leader Janice Kaikolt and her colleagues measured the level of interleukins 6 and 10 in the blood of participants, and the effect on the endocrine system was assessed by fluctuations in the concentration of stress hormones - cortisol, norepinephrine and other catecholamines.

However, the only positive effect that was recorded was an improvement in the mood of the participants under the influence of lemon (but not lavender) oil.

“The human body is a very complex mechanism, and if someone feels better when using aromatherapy, we are not going to overpersuade him. However, so far we have not been able to identify any physiological effects of the use of aromatic oils,”said Professor William Malarkey.