3. Lavender Oil as an Antidepressant
It’s lavender’s calming scent that makes it an excellent tool for treating depression. The revitalizing fragrance eliminates nervous exhaustion and restlessness while increasing mental activity.
In fact, a 2012 study took 28 high-risk postpartum women asked them to diffuse lavender at home for 4 weeks. The result? They had a significant reduction of postnatal depression and reduced anxiety disorder after just by inhaling the oil. Best of all, they had minimal side-effects (8).
4. Lavender Essential Oil Treats Chronic Pain
Lavender is, without a doubt, one of the most popular and well-known essential oils for pain relief.
One study found that lavender essential oil used as part of an acupressure treatment helped reduce lower back pain by 39 percent. This treatment also improved walking speed and spine flexion (9).
Another study that was published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that applying lavender oil or inhaling it has a pain-relieving effect. Also, massaging lavender essential oil into the abdominal area helps relieve menstrual cramps (10).
Inhaling lavender also had a morphine-like effect for patients recovering from surgery. The study also found lavender was efficient in reducing migraine pain as well as relieving lower back pain and neck pain.
5. Treat Dementia with Lavender Oil
As the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s and related dementias carries feverously on, some research advocates that the use of essential oils and aromatherapy may treat certain symptoms of the disease.
Nonetheless, the effects of aromatherapy are debated in the circumstances of dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. Sadly, many patients with advanced dementia lose their sense of smell, which may be why research has shown lavender aromatherapy via diffusion has had no effect on agitation in people with dementia. However, topical application has worked brilliantly to diminish aggression in these patients (11).