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Lavender-purple, pretty, and fragrant-is a darling of the wellness world. Soothing bath soaks to luxury candles, lavender has long been used in aromatherapy and marketed in beauty products. And while many studies have shown that it is easier than ever before.
In a new study published today (Oct. 23) in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience researchers found compelling evidence that the stress relief that comes from the way that linalool, an alcohol that occurs naturally in the plant activates certain neurotransmitter receptors in the brain via olfactory neurons.
"Hideki Kashiwadani," a physiologist professor at Kagoshima University in Japan, and one of the study's co-authors, said in a press release. In the modern beauty world, numerous brands have also been marketed as calming and covetable.
And while there have been investigations into the effects of lowering blood pressure and improving moods, and the calming effect of washing down on bedtime, there was no need for this effect. Many of these studies involved test subjects inhaling linalool, but "the sites of action of linalool were not addressed in these studies," Kashiwadani said.
Kashiwadani led a team of researchers from Kagoshima University, who tested the behavior of animals. The mice exhibited similar behavior as they would on anti-anxiety medications, such as commonly prescribed benzodiazepines like Xanax. "In particular, this did not affect their movement," said Kashiwadani, as happens with many anti-anxiety medications.
Further, the olfactory neurons were destroyed, or in normal mice whose GABAA receptors, which are the neurotransmitter receptors that respond to anti-anxiety medications, were blocked. The implications are twofold: First, relaxation associated with linalool is specifically triggered by olfactory signals, and second, linalool does not directly activate GABAA receptors the way anti-anxiety medications do.
"When combined, these results suggest that GABAA receptors like benzodiazepines do not have to be activated by olfactory neurons in the nose in order to produce their relaxing effects," Kashiwadani said. In previous studies, mice fed or injected with linalool might have exhibited relaxation because they smelled the compound "emitted in their exhaled breath," he said.
While the researchers note that more studies on the effect of smelling linalool (and lavender) in animals are needed before effects of medications like benzodiazepines is promising. So too, is the marketing potential for the wellness industry, and natural beauty brands that already have lavender's appeal.
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