The history of essential oils and mood

For thousands of years essential oils have been used for therapeutic purposes and ancient civilisations used them for cosmetics and perfumes, as well as for rituals and spiritual purposes. Pedanius Dioscorides, a greek physician living in the first century, wrote about Essential oil uses in his five-volume encyclopedia, De Materia Medica. Later in the  early 1900s, a French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burned his hand. He treated it with lavender oil and then started to investigate the chemical properties of essential oils their therapeutic uses.  Gattefosse is considered the founder of the science of aromatherapy, and since, massage therapists, beauticians, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, and other healthcare professionals use aromatherapy. Essential oils have been long thought to relax, calm, and uplift users when either inhaled or applied topically, and there is a robust body of evidence that suggests that essential oils are effective in treating depression, as well as stress and anxiety.

There are many studies to suggest that essential oils can indeed improve mood. A study conducted in 1995 found that when citrus fragrance was given to 12 depressive patients, the doses of antidepressants necessary for the treatment of depression could be markedly reduced. The treatment with citrus fragrance normalised neuroendocrine hormone levels and immune function, and was rather more effective than antidepressants (1). A more recent 2017 systematic review concluded that aromatherapy is an effective therapeutic option for the relief of depressive symptoms in a wide variety of subjects (2).  Additionally a 2004 study found reported that in thirty two subjects suffering from depression and/or anxiety there was a marked improvement in symptoms after 6 fortnightly aromatherapy sessions (3) . Another recent study suggests that inhalation of essential oils by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy reduced procedural pain and anxiety after needle insertion into an implantable central venous port catheter (4).

Essential oils are so effective as they directly pass the blood brain barrier and so have a direct impact on areas of the brain that help to control emotions. As a result they can play an important role in fighting depression. In fact there is such a strong connection between smell and emotions that people who lose their sense of smell often develop depression, and interestingly those who suffer from depression have impaired sense of smell (5) . We should then incorporate the use of essential oils, in addition to factors that we know help mood, such as healthy eating and reducing sugar intake, regular exercise, and quiet prayer/ meditation time, to assist us in reducing risk of depression and anxiety.