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Aromatherapy: 9 Best Essential Oils For Anxiety and Stress

There is no single best essential oil or scent for anxiety, but there are some scents that work better than others. I would encourage you to try a lot of different ones and take note of what ones have the biggest impact on you. The ones that are listed below have all been associated with stress relief and calming down.  These essential oils work through “Aromatherapy” – defined as an alternative medicine that uses plant materials (a.k.a. essential oils) to help improve an individuals cognition, mood, or overall health.

9 Essential Oils for Anxiety and Stress

When it comes to essential oils, it has been said that the ones that calm and sedate more than others tend to have a greater amount of esters. As with any form of treatment though, it’s all about preference and what works for you – so do some experimentation and see what you think works best. Obviously if you are allergic to any of these flowers, steer clear and choose a different one.

1. Lavender

One of the most common aromas to help treat anxiety disorder is that of lavender. This essential oil is extracted via steam distillation of the lavender flowers. Within lavender there are over 150 different components that interact to help produce a healing effect. When buying lavender oil, make sure that you go for quality stuff – there is a lot of artificial crap on the market so be careful not to get that. In order to determine the quality of the lavender, you will want to make sure you are buying something high in esters and very low amounts of cineol.

More information: http://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/article_content.asp?article=289

Most people enjoy the scent of lavender and find that it really helps them de-stress and relax better than most. When inhaled it basically slows down fast wave brain activity (the root of anxiety) and replaces it with slower wave alpha brain wave activity.

2. Rose Geranium

The geranium rose can help to relax your entire body as well as boost your mood if you are feeling down in the dumps. It has a very nice flowery scent that most people enjoy a lot. This particular plant has been found to help balance hormonal levels as well as provide a major boost of relaxation. Upon smelling this scent, many people feel more relaxed and less irritable than before. This helps to make us feel calmer throughout the day and can even improve mood.

Like the other aromas on this list, it can provide a soothing sensation to the entire central nervous system. If you find yourself caught up in a never ending cycle of work, stress, anxiety, and don’t know what to do, this may help you out. It can take away pain throughout the body and some say it works by stimulating the lymphatic system.

3. Roman Chamomile

Most people have heard of chamomile tea, but may not have tried it in aromatherapy to help reduce anxiety. This smell is pretty distinguishable from most other scents – it smells a little sweet or fruity at times. It has been established as a substance to help reduce stress and in some cases has helped with insomnia and muscle tension. The oils are obtained from the Chamomile flowers which can then be used in therapy.

It has been used for over 2000 years and can help with a variety of ailments including vomiting, insomnia, restlessness, and ADD. The way it helps is primarily by having a calming effect on the user. Although it is likely not going to result in a permanent cure, it may help with a variety of things. When this type of oil is applied to the skin, it can even sooth any tension within the muscles. Most of the aromas on this list may help for other things in addition to anxiety.

4. Clary sage

This is another substance that when inhaled should be beneficial for anxiety reduction. In the Korean Academy of Nursing, there was a study done that involved the inhalation of clary sage with lavender, peppermint, and rosemary – the combination of these oils resulted in less anxiety for the individuals taking a stress test. There have been some studies involving clary sage and most have demonstrated that it can help with anxiety. It is by no means going to result in a cure, but will at least provide a temporary soothing effect on your mind and body. Some specialists go as far as to say that it may even have antidepressant properties – this is not well established.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15314330

5. Bergamot

The actual bergamot oil is obtained from the rind of unripe citrus fruit from a bitter orange tree. Like the others already listed, it can induce a state of relaxation and calmness. Many individuals find this scent refreshing with elements of fruitiness. This specific scent tends to be very helpful at restoring the hypothalamus to a state of homeostasis and calmness. If you are feeling a lot of stress and anxiety, this aroma may provide you with some major relief.

In one study involving Bergamot and diazepam, both were found to be helpful at reducing corticosterone responses to stress as well as correcting HPA axis activity. The fact that this has been used in a study and was found to be effective for anxiety should tell you that it may really help you calm down.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21105176

6. Jasmine

Some have touted Jasmine as being just as good as the powerful anti-anxiety drug valium to help calm the nerves. The way that jasmine works is by increasing the GABA activity within the brain to help regulate feelings of stress, anxiety, and over-excitement. Although it’s probably not a good idea to make a direct comparison to the drug valium, this may be one of your best bets in aromatherapy to help with your anxiety.

Despite the fact that this information is derived from a foreign study conducted in Germany and was conducted on mice and frogs – many studies are conducted on mice that carry over to humans. Certainly there are things that only work on humans and only work on mice, but the fact that these results were so highly touted by many should tell you how effective jasmine could end up being. The good thing about the study was that it was published in Journal of Biological Chemistry – a peer reviewed publication.

7. Sandalwood

Sandalwood has a sweet, woodsy, outdoors type scent and can be very beneficial in reducing anxiety. There was a study conducted that took into account the sandalwood aroma in cases of terminal illness. It was found to reduce overall anxiety in these patients. Additionally some have said that it works great to help with insomnia as well as improve overall quality of sleep. This fragrance comes from an evergreen tree and the oil that is used in massage therapy is extracted from the heartwood.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16648093

8. Sweet marjoram

Sweet marjoram is noted by some as helping during the menstrual cycle with cramps. It has also been said to help with circulation. Most people that use it notice that this bold fragrance has a little spice, but it does end up contributing to a state of relaxation of the mind and body. Like the others this can help some individuals with insomnia and get a deeper night’s sleep. Many individuals like to use sweet marjoram in combination with other things like lavender, bergamot, and chamomile for an even more powerful effect.

9. Ylang ylang

Ylang ylang is a tropical Asian plant and the essential oil is obtained from starfish shaped flowers on the cananga tree. Although it can really help with anxiety and stress, most people know that it is not as potent as something like jasmine. It has been referred to as the “poor man’s jasmine” due to the fact that it is generally not as potent. With this substance you are going to want to make sure you get a very good blend – otherwise you may get some diluted stuff that is of lower grade for aromatherapy. Many like to use it in combination with bergamot oil. It is not typically used alone, but it can be very pleasant combined with other fragrances.

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6 thoughts on “Aromatherapy: 9 Best Essential Oils For Anxiety and Stress”

  1. I enjoy seeing the spread of essential oil use! I used them as a massage therapist for 26 years and with my children as they were growing up. Essential oils are basically our medicine cabinet for most things, there’s so much to know and so many uses. Thanks for the article!

    Reply
  2. By far the best way to go about it is to buy 100% pure essential oils. Aura Cacia is one very well know and great quality brand. You can find them on Amazon or at your local health food store. Tisserand is another good company.

    Reply
  3. At Christmastime was buying pine and pure cinnamon oil scents from Amazon.com – they have a large selection of oils and affordable small (few ounces) bottles to try out various aromas before buying larger bottles.

    Reply
  4. Thank you very much for this knowledge. Where would be the best place to find these oils and good quality ones? Thank you for your help. Sincerely Sharon

    Reply
    • Sharon – I’ve been using blends (I first tried blending them myself and between buying many different oils and figuring out ratios and carriers – my costs starting adding up quickly) – you may want to try this brand called Uma Oils. I like them because they grow and distill all of their own essential oils organically.

      Reply

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