Aromatherapy Massage Relieves Menstrual Cramps
Massaging an aromatherapy blend of lavender, clary sage and rose essential oils onto the abdomen just before and during a woman’s menstrual period provides relief from cramps, according to research from a South Korean school of nursing. The data collected showed that menstrual pain decreased by more than 50 percent in the women who received aromatherapy massage. The authors concluded that “Aromatherapy can be regarded as a safe, simple, cost-effective and viable method of care.”
—MASSAGE Magazine, Issue 131, April 2006

Aromatherapy for Anxiety Reduction
This study offered preliminary results supporting the use of aromatherapy massage for reducing anxiety among patients at the end of life.
“Massage with sandalwood oil was the most effective and sustained treatment for reducing anxiety … The results generated by [the group that received massage with sandalwood via an aroma-stone] were better than those of [the control group], suggesting that sandalwood essential oil might be the key,” writes study author Gaye Kyle, a senior lecturer at Thames Valley University in Slough, England.
—MASSAGE Magazine, Issue 125, October 2006

Aromatherapy and Massage Improve Sleep in Advanced Cancer Patients
A study of the long-term effects of massage and aromatherapy on the physical and psychological symptoms of patients with advanced cancer showed that the intervention significantly improved subjects’ quality of sleep, but provided only short-term benefits for pain and anxiety.
Subjects in the massage groups received a 30-minute standardized back massage once a week for four weeks. Subjects in the control group completed the researchers’ questionnaires and assessments, but received no massage.
—MASSAGE Magazine, Issue 111, September/October 2004

Aromatherapy Eases Agitation in Severe Dementia
This study showed that aromatherapy reduced agitation and increased constructive activity in people with severe dementia.
The placebo was sunflower oil added to a base lotion; the active treatment was Melissa essential oil added to a base lotion. The lotion was applied to the subject's face and arms twice a day. “Aromatherapy with essential balm oil was well tolerated and resulted in a 35% improvement in agitation compared with an 11% improvement with placebo treatment,” state the study's authors.
—MASSAGE Magazine, Issue 102, March/April 2003

Aromatherapy’s effect on moods and minds
This study's researchers assessed the effect of lavender and rosemary on alertness, mood and the brain's electrical activity, and on subjects' ability to perform math computations.
Results indicated that both the lavender and rosemary groups experienced lower levels of anxiety and felt more relaxed after the aromatherapy. Only the lavender group reported a significantly better mood. The rosemary group reported feeling more alert.
Math test results showed that the lavender group experienced an increase in drowsiness, while the rosemary group showed EEG patterns that reflected a greater state of alertness.
—MASSAGE Magazine, Issue 85, May/June 2000