The smell of lavender is really relaxing, study confirms

Nowadays, lavender seems to be in everything, from baths to cakes, from scented candles to creams and lotions. The main reason is pretty obvious – it is really nice – but it is also praised for its medicinal properties, being used for various minor health issues. However, while there is some research on lavender's alleged properties, it's really not that much.

Lavender oil is currently being investigated for its possible effects in alleviating anxiety and sleep disturbances, but high-quality studies remain few and far between. This new paper offers new evidence to support your condition, but there is a catch: you have to smell it, or it is not absorbed by it.

"In folk medicine," says co-author Dr. Hideki Kashiwadani of Kagoshima University, Japan.

Lavender oil contains, among other things, linalool (26%) and caryophyllene (8%). Linalool, in particular, is a fragrant alcohol found in virtually all lavender extracts. Kashiwadani and colleagues tested the effect of linalool on mice, to see whether it's the smell that does the trick or it's something else.

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When they were administered to the group of normal mice, the anxiolytic effect (reducing anxiety) was evident. But when they did the same thing to a group of olfactory neurons had been destroyed, there was no effect. Thus, the researchers concluded that smelling the linalool is the key aspect. Researchers also note that there were no negative side effects.

"We are observing the behavior of mice exposed to linalool vapor, to determine its anxiolytic effects. As in previous studies, we found that linalool odor has an anxiolytic effect in normal mice. Notably, this did not affect their movement. "

This contrasts with the practice of injecting linalool, which is also investigated as a potential medical procedure. Not only does the study have a negative impact on the subject, but the injections have a negative effect on the movement, similar to that of alcohol.

Researchers suggest that the positive effects sometimes associated with linalool injections could be the result of the compound emitted in the exhaled breath.

Kashiwadani says that in the near future, linalool could be used to relax patients and ease in a strong anaesthesia.

"These findings are of particular importance in the treatment of hypertension. Vaporized linalool could also provide a safe alternative for patients who have difficulties with oral or suppository administration of anxiolytics, such as infants or confused elders. "

The study has been published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

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