Studies show that lavender is effective in improving sleep quality, reducing anxiety, reducing PMS symptoms, and managing agitation.
What is Lavender?
Lavender, scientifically known as Lavandula angustifolia, is a fragrant herb native to the Mediterranean region. It's widely known for its soothing aroma and therapeutic properties.
Lavender is a woody perennial herb with narrow, aromatic leaves and clusters of small, fragrant flowers in shades of purple or blue. It thrives in well-drained soil and sunny locations.
Primary Compounds
Linalool: This compound is responsible for lavender's distinctive floral scent and possesses sedative properties.
Linalyl acetate: Another major constituent of lavender essential oil, linalyl acetate contributes to its calming and anti-anxiety effects.
Camphor, cineole, and terpinen-4-ol: These compounds exhibit antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, enhancing lavender's medicinal value.
Other flavonoids and Tannins: Lavender contains various flavonoid antioxidants and tannins that contribute to its anti-inflammatory and skin-healing properties.
Traditional Uses
Lavender has a long history of use in traditional medicine systems around the world. In ancient times, it was employed for various purposes, including wound healing, relaxation, and bathing rituals.
Traditional healers utilized lavender preparations for headaches, digestive issues, respiratory ailments, and skin conditions.
In folk medicine, lavender was often added to herbal teas, sachets, and baths to promote relaxation and wellbeing.
Health Benefits
1. Stress Reduction: Lavender is renowned for its calming effects on the mind and body. It can help reduce stress, anxiety, and promote relaxation, making it a popular choice in aromatherapy and natural remedies for stress-related conditions.
2. Sleep Aid: Due to its calming properties, lavender is often used to improve sleep quality and alleviate insomnia. Inhalation of lavender essential oil or using lavender-infused products before bedtime may help induce a sense of tranquility and promote restful sleep.
3. Pain Relief: Lavender oil applied topically or used in massage blends may help alleviate muscle tension, headaches, and minor aches and pains. It has mild analgesic properties and can enhance the effects of massage therapy.
4. Skin Care: Lavender possesses antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, making it beneficial for skin health. It can soothe irritated skin, reduce redness, and promote wound healing. Lavender oil is commonly used in skincare products such as creams, lotions, and soaps.
Lavender for sleep
Researchers tested 158 postpartum (having given birth) with lavender essential oil aromatherapy. Half were given cottonballs with lavender each evening, They would smell the lavender oil and then point the cottonball by their bedside. The other half were given a placebo oil with their cottonballs.
The study found that the lavender aromatherapy significantly improved sleep and sleep quality among the mothers.
Lavender for agitation in dementia
A 2002 study on 15 patients with dementia and agitation were given lavender or placebo oil alternatively. When given the lavender, 60 percent showed improvement.
They exhibited less agitation when given the lavender oil aromatherapy.
Reduces anxiety
A 2015 study from the Cornell Medical Center tested 100 patients after surgery. They were split into two groups, one receiving lavender aromatherapy and the other being the control group.
Those given the lavender aromatherapy had modest but significantly less anxiety compared to the control group.
A 2009 study from German tested patients with generalized anxiety disorder. The patients were split into two groups. One group received lavender aromatherapy and the other a pharmaceutical treatment for the anxiety disorder.
The researchers concluded that the lavender treatment was "as effective as lorazepam in adults with generalized anxiety disorder."
Lavender for PMS
Lavender essential oil can alleviate premenstrual emotional mood changes, say scientists. This confirms other research showing Lavender aromatherapy produces overall calming effects.
Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD involve a number of symptoms, which include but are not limited to mood swings, anxiety, stress, panic attacks, fatigue, food cravings, insomnia and others. These symptoms have been defined by conventional medicine as premenstrual syndrome, and in its worst stage, PMDD will typically appear in the late luteal phase (about a week prior to menstruation).
While many doctors and scientists agree that the syndrome is related to changes in hormone levels, there have been differing opinions on which are responsible. However, a 2006 study from Sweden indicated that a reduction in serotonin availability appears to be related to increased occurrence of premenstrual syndrome and PMDD.
This finding has led to the widespread prescribing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) by conventional medicine for premenstrual syndrome and PMDD.
In the U.S., PMDD is considered a disease and SSRIs the prescriptive course, many countries – including those in the EU – have rejected this notion that PMDD is a disease and SSRIs are the necessary prescriptive course, due to the fact that SSRIs have been shown to become addictive and have numerous side effects including nausea, headaches, drowsiness, mania and others.
The research comes from Japan’s Shitennoji University and Kyoto University. The scientists conducted a randomized crossover study using 17 women with an average age of 20 years old who experienced premenstrual emotional symptoms in the late luteal phase of their menstrual cycle.
The women were selected from Shitennoji University after the researchers conducted medical questionnaires and medical histories from a larger group of women.
The women were tested during two different monthly cycles. Their cycle phases were determined by measuring their body temperatures and their levels of estrone and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide – taken from urine samples.
During the first test, half the women inhaled the scent of Lavender essential oil – generally called aromatherapy – for ten minutes. The other half of the women were tested using water as a control.
During the second test, the control group inhaled the Lavender aromatherapy while the other group was tested with the control.
The researchers tested the effects of the aromatherapy using two different measurements. The first was heart rate variability (HRV) measured by electrocardiograph. Other research has established that reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with increased stress and anxiety and related symptoms.
The other measurement used to test their emotional states was the Profile of Mood States index – a standardized test that uses a five-point scale (ranging from “not at all” to “extremely”) for 65 different adjectives describing a subject’s current state of mind and mood. Examples include “irritability,” “fatigue” and so on.
The researchers found from both tests that the groups inhaling the Lavender had increased heart rate variability – indicating improved moods and reduced stress. They also found that the Profile of Mood States test results were significantly better in the Lavender aromatherapy groups compared to the two control groups.
Some of the more significant improvements in the Profile of Mood States test were in the depression, dejection and confusion categories. These three categories are typically lower for premenstrual syndrome sufferers.
The improved symptoms of the Lavender aromatherapy groups continued for up to 35 minutes following the ten-minute aromatherapy.
The researchers surmised that the improvement from Lavender aromatherapy was due to Lavender affecting the women’s parasympathetic nervous system:
“This study indicates that short-term inhalation of Lavender could alleviate premenstrual emotional symptoms and could, at least in part, contribute to the improvement of parasympathetic nervous system activity.”
Lavender boosts serotonin
Meanwhile, Lavender aromatherapy shows promise as a natural and safe way to boost serotonin levels. Recent research from China’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences indicates that Lavender essential oil aromatherapy elicits the stimulation of both serotonin and dopamine from the brain – both of which can elevate moods and produce calmness.
Confirming this, in 2011 researchers from Taiwan’s Taipei Medical University Hospital found that Lavender aromatherapy elevated moods and increased sleep quality in a clinical study of 67 women who were aged between 45 and 55 years old. This study also showed that Lavender increased heart rate variability – another sign of serotonin boosting – among the women.
This effect is also illustrated with essential oil aromatherapy's ability to reduce depression.
The Japanese researchers analyzed their Lavender essential oil and determined the major constituents included about 75% linalyl acetate and linalool, as well as ocimene, caryophyllene, ocimene and lavendulyl acetate.
Lavender (Lavandula sp.) aromatherapy has been used for centuries by herbal practitioners for calming anxiety and for mood disorders. There are more than three dozen medicinal varieties of Lavender, and Lavender’s recorded use dates back over two thousand years.
Rosemary herb also lowers anxiety according to other research.
The typical way of utilizing aromatherapy is with a diffuser. Just a few drops (3-4) of an essential oil onto a diffusing element can quickly deliver its therapeutic scents throughout the room. An easy diffuser is a clean crumpled tissue. Other types of diffusers are available – including some that utilize heat to diffuse the scent. An essential oil may be diffused by dropping into boiled water as well – this will diffuse the scent via the vapor – but less oil should probably be used in this case. Aromatherapy scents may also be diffused via candles and lamp rings – but be careful because essential oils are also flammable.
REFERENCES
Matsumoto T, Asakura H, Hayashi T. Does Lavender aromatherapy alleviate premenstrual emotional symptoms?: a randomized crossover trial. Biopsychosoc Med. 2013 May 31;7(1):12.
Chien LW, Cheng SL, Liu CF. The effect of Lavender aromatherapy on autonomic nervous system in midlife women with insomnia. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:740813.
Eriksson O, Wall A, Marteinsdottir I, Agren H, Hartvig P, Blomqvist G, Långström B, Naessén T. Mood changes correlate to changes in brain serotonin precursor trapping in women with premenstrual dysphoria. Psychiatry Res. 2006 Mar 31;146(2):107-16.
Wotman M, Levinger J, Leung L, Kallush A, Mauer E, Kacker A. The Efficacy of Lavender Aromatherapy in Reducing Preoperative Anxiety in Ambulatory Surgery Patients Undergoing Procedures in General Otolaryngology. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2017 Nov 8;2(6):437-441. doi: 10.1002/lio2.121.
van der Ploeg ES, Eppingstall B, O'Connor DW. The study protocol of a blinded randomised-controlled cross-over trial of lavender oil as a treatment of behavioural symptoms in dementia. BMC Geriatr. 2010 Jul 22;10:49. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-10-49.
Holmes C, Hopkins V, Hensford C, MacLaughlin V, Wilkinson D, Rosenvinge H. Lavender oil as a treatment for agitated behaviour in severe dementia: a placebo controlled study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2002 Apr;17(4):305-8. doi: 10.1002/gps.593.
Keshavarz Afshar M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Taghizadeh Z, Bekhradi R, Montazeri A, Mokhtari P. Lavender fragrance essential oil and the quality of sleep in postpartum women. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015 Apr 25;17(4):e25880. doi: 10.5812/ircmj.17(4)2015.25880.