Aromatherapy uses extracts from plants, called essential oils, to treat health conditions. Typically, you inhale them or put them on your skin.
If you want to use aromatherapy, talk with your doctor or functional medicine practitioner about proper techniques and safety. Also, make sure you’re using pure oils and not fragrance oils that contain chemicals.
How do essential oils work?
Essential oils are plant extracts that contain the aromatic compounds that give plants their distinctive scent. They’re obtained by steaming or pressing flowers, roots, bark, leaves and other parts of the plant to capture those compounds.
Each oil has its own distinct chemical makeup, which influences how it smells and what effect it may have on the body. Proponents believe that certain scents can boost mood, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality and even relieve pain.
You can use aromatherapy by diffusing or applying diluted essential oils to your skin. You can also use them in a hot bath or add them to a massage oil. But only specially trained nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists or aromatherapists should administer treatment that involves taking essential oils by mouth.
What are the benefits of aromatherapy?
Many studies show that when you smell certain essential oils, it can influence your mood and behavior. For example, lavender can help people who feel anxious relax. It may also help reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
Other essential oil smells may help relieve pain from rheumatoid arthritis and headaches. And oils that contain estrogen-like compounds, such as fennel, aniseed, and sage, can ease premenstrual symptoms and menopausal symptoms.
When used properly, most essential oils are safe, though some can cause skin irritation. Before using them, add the oil to a carrier oil to make it less potent. Also, don’t put essential oils in your mouth — this could cause nausea and vomiting and can damage your liver and kidneys. Talk to your doctor before trying aromatherapy if you have a condition like epilepsy or asthma, or are taking prescription medication. Some oils can interact with your medications. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, avoid certain oils that contain phenols.
How do I use aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). People use essential oils to manage symptoms or boost their sense of well-being. They can be inhaled or applied to the skin (“topical application”).
When you smell an essential oil, its molecules enter your nose and stimulate cells called olfactory receptors. These send messages to parts of the brain that affect emotions and memory. For example, the terpene limonene — found in lemon essential oil — may help relieve labor pains, while the terpene linalool — found in lavender and clary sage — has calming effects.
But you should avoid using undiluted oils, which can cause a rash or irritation on the skin. Add a few drops of an oil to a carrier oil, such as almond or coconut oil, before applying it to your body. Some oils can interact with certain medications, so talk to your doctor before trying them. Pregnant women and people who have high blood pressure should avoid stimulating oils, like rosemary and spike lavender.
What are the risks of aromatherapy?
The majority of essential oils are regarded as safe for inhalation or topical application if they’re properly diluted. However, some oil-based treatments can cause irritation and some may interact with certain medications. Poisoning from ingestion of essential oils, usually due to accidental or intentional overdoses, is rare. Contact dermatitis from direct skin contact can also occur with some oils, particularly if the oils are very strong or not well diluted. Some oils (especially citrus) are phototoxic and should not be applied before exposure to sunlight.
Aromatherapy can be a useful complementary therapy for people with cancer, provided it’s used safely and under the guidance of a trained professional. Memorial Sloan Kettering recommends that patients with certain medical conditions or who are taking specific medications talk to their doctors before trying aromatherapy. This PDQ cancer information summary was reviewed and revised by the PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board and is updated regularly. This information is for health care professionals only.
