Essential oils: How safe? How effective?

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doi:doi: 10.12788/jfp.0672

Applied Evidence

Essential oils: How safe? How effective?

J Fam Pract. 2023 November;72(9):374-381 | doi: 10.12788/jfp.0672

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References

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GI disorders

Irritable bowel syndrome. Peppermint oil relaxes GI smooth muscle, which has led to investigation of its use in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptom amelioration.¹⁷ One meta-analysis including 12 RCTs with 835 patients with undifferentiated IBS found that orally ingested peppermint EO capsules reduced patient-reported symptoms of either abdominal pain or global symptoms.¹⁸

One study utilized the Total IBS Symptom Score to evaluate symptom reduction in patients with IBS-D (with diarrhea) and IBS-M (mixed) using 180-mg peppermint EO capsules ingested 3 times daily. There was a significant improvement in abdominal pain/discomfort, bloating/distension, pain at evacuation, and bowel urgency.¹⁹ A reduction in symptoms was observed after the first 24 hours of treatment and at the end of the 4-week treatment period.

In another study, among the 190 patients meeting Rome IV criteria for general (nonspecific) IBS who were treated with 182-mg peppermint EO capsules, no statistically significant reduction in overall symptom relief was found (based on outcome measures by the FDA and European Medicines Agency). However, in a secondary outcome analysis, peppermint oil produced greater improvements than placebo for the alleviation of abdominal pain, discomfort, and general IBS severity.²⁰

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy often explore integrative medicine approaches, including aromatherapy, to ameliorate adverse effects and improve quality of life.³⁸ A few small studies have shown potential for the use of inhaled ginger oil to reduce nausea and vomiting severity and improve health-related quality-of-life measures in these patients.

Evidence supports the use of inhaled and topically applied lavender oil to improve fibromyalgia symptoms.

For example, a study with 60 participants found that inhaling ginger EO for 10 minutes was beneficial for reducing both nausea and vomiting.³⁹ A single-blind, controlled, randomized crossover study of 60 patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy showed that ginger EO inhaled 3 times per day for 2 minutes at a time can decrease the severity of nausea but had no effect on vomiting. The same study showed that health-related quality of life improved with the ginger oil treatment.⁴⁰

Continue to: Other EOs such as cardamom...