Home > Anti-aging Research > Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)

Specific Recommendations:

• Lavender oil at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• Lavender's Antianxiety Effects Nothing to Sniff At - Medscape, 10/25/18 - "the vaporized lavender compound linalool triggers a relaxing effect by directly stimulating olfactory sensory neurons ... The researchers say it is notable that the animals' movements did not become impaired after the animals smelled linalool. By contrast, benzodiazepines and linalool injections had effects on movement that were similar to those caused by alcohol ... these results suggest that linalool does not act directly on GABAA receptors like benzodiazepines do but must activate them via olfactory neurons in the nose in order to produce its relaxing effects ... the anxiolytic effects induced by the odor of linalool "may be applicable for preoperative patients because pretreatment with anxiolytics can alleviate preoperative stress and thus contribute to place patients under general anesthesia more smoothly" - See lavender oil at Amazon.com.
• Lavender oil has potent antifungal effect - Science Daily, 2/14/11
• Lavender Oil May Spur Breasts in Boys - WebMD, 1/31/07 - "Repeated use of products containing lavender oil or tea tree oil may spur breast growth in prepubertal boys ... lavender and tea tree oil are sold over the counter in their 'pure' form and are present in an increasing number of commercial products, including shampoos, hair gels, soaps, and body lotions"
• Lavender Effective Add-on Therapy for Depression - New Hope Natural Media, 5/8/03 - "the group taking the combination of imipramine and lavender had a significantly greater reduction in HAM-D scores and the antidepressant effect occurred more rapidly, compared with those taking imipramine or lavender alone" - See iHerb lavender products.
• Monoterpenes: Essence of a Cancer Cure - Nutrition Science News, 4/99

News & Research:

• Lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.) essential oils attenuate hyperglycemia and protect against oxidative stress in alloxan-induced diabetic rats - Lipids Health Dis. 2013 Dec 28;12(1):189 - "These findings suggested that lavandula stoechas essential oils protected against diabetes and oxidative stress induced by alloxan treatment. These effects are in partly due to its potent antioxidant properties"
• Psychological effects of aromatherapy on chronic hemodialysis patients - Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2000 Aug;54(4):393-7