Aromatherapy works. The essential oils used in the therapy lower heart rate and blood pressure, and so could play an important role in reducing cardiovascular disease, say researchers.
The effects are very significant, too. According to one study of 100 young people, the heart rate fell by 2.21 beats a minute and blood pressure had dropped by 2.10 mmHg after 45 minutes of breathing in the aromatic oils.
The oils have a paradoxical effect, however. Although they have an immediate beneficial effect, the oils start to increase heart rate and blood pressure if a person breathes them in for more than an hour.
(Source: European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2012; doi: 10.1177/2047487312469474).
