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Background This study was carried out to determine the effects of lavender oil intervention before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) on patients' vital signs, pain and anxiety. Materials and methods This study was designed as a randomized controlled study. The population of the study consisted of adult patients who were going to receive ERCP at the gastroenterology clinic of a university hospital. Ninety patients participated in the study. The data were collected using a Patient Information Form, a Pre-Post Test Record Form, VAS and the State Anxiety Scale. Results After lavender oil intervention, the pulse rate, systolic-diastolic blood pressure, pain and anxiety levels of the patients in the experiment group were reduced, their oxygen saturation levels were increased, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p Conclusion Lavender oil applied on the patients before the ERCP procedure reduced their pulse rate, systolic-diastolic blood pressure, pain and anxiety levels, while it increased their oxygen saturation levels.

Cigarette smoking has detrimental effects on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), characterized by muscle wasting. Linalyl acetate (LA), the main component of Lavandula angustifolia Mill (lavender) oil, has anti-inflammatory properties. We investigated the detrimental effects of chronic nicotine exposure in rats with RA, as well as the abilities of lavender oil and LA to prevent muscle wasting. Rats with RA induced by type II collagen were exposed to nicotine for 22 days from day 1. Lavender oil or LA was administered twice a week during the experiment. Compared with control, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and chronic nicotine exposure plus CIA (NicoCIA) showed increases in hind paw thickness and serum interleukin (IL)-6 and decreases in body weight and serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels. Moreover, weight and fiber cross-sectional area of the gastrocnemius muscle were much lower, and mitochondrial membrane potential of the gastrocnemius muscle was higher, in the NicoCIA than in the CIA. These alterations in the NicoCIA were prevented by lavender oil and LA. Importantly, LA showed greater activity than lavender oil in preventing IGF-1 reduction in the NicoCIA. These findings suggest that lavender oil and LA may have preventive benefit in RA by counteracting muscle wasting associated with chronic nicotine exposure.

Purpose This study was conducted to determine the effects of lavender oil on the quality of sleep and fatigue of students. Design and methods This study is an experimental study conducted with the intervention and control groups (pretest/posttest). In the intervention group, the students were treated with aromatherapy for one week. Findings It was found that the posttest Pittsburgh sleep quality index and checklist individual strength scores of the students in the intervention group were lower than those of the students in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. Implications for practice The results show that the use of lavender oil is an effective, reliable, and accessible method to relieve insomnia and fatigue problems of students.

Objectives Hemodialysis (HD) patients suffer more sleep problems (poor sleep quality and restless leg syndrome [RLS]). Complementary therapy, especially massage with aromatherapy oil is one of the non-pharmacological treatment options with less adverse effects than routine methods. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of foot massage with of lavender and orange essential oil on HD patients’ sleep quality and RLS. Methods This is a double blind randomized controlled trial on 105 HD patients was conducted at a large educational hospital in Iran, Hamadan province between January and September 2017. Patients divided into three groups with random allocation (35 participants per groups in lavender, orange, and control group). Foot massage during HD with lavender and orange essential oil was administered to the patients three times a week for three weeks, and every massage lasted half an hour. The control group received routine care. Before the intervention, the end of the first, second, and third weeks Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and RLS questionnaire were completed for all three groups. Data were statistically analyzed with Independent Samples t-test, chi-square test and repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) by SPSS version 16. Results The mean score of sleep quality and RLS in the intervention groups were significantly different compare with the control group in all three time of data collecting (p Conclusions Aromatherapy prepared with lavender oil and sweet orange may be recommended to increase sleep quality and RLS level of the HD patients.

Background Psychosocial distress, depression, or anxiety can occur in up to 50% of women after a breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefit of lavender oil as a perioperative adjunct to improve anxiety, depression, pain, and sleep in women undergoing microvascular breast reconstruction. Methods This was a prospective, single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial of 49 patients undergoing microvascular breast reconstruction. Patients were randomized to receive lavender oil or placebo (coconut oil) throughout their hospitalization. The effect of lavender oil on perioperative stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, and pain was measured using the hospital anxiety and depression scale, Richards–Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, and the visual analogue scale. Results Twenty-seven patients were assigned to the lavender group and 22 patients were assigned to the control group. No significant differences were seen in the perioperative setting between the groups with regard to anxiety (p = 0.82), depression (p = 0.21), sleep (p = 0.86), or pain (p = 0.30) scores. No adverse events (i.e., allergic reaction) were captured, and no significant differences in surgery-related complications were observed. When evaluating the entire cohort, postoperative anxiety scores were significantly lower than preoperative scores (p Conclusion In the setting of microvascular breast reconstruction, lavender oil and aromatherapy had no significant adverse events or complications; however, there were no measurable advantages pertaining to metrics of depression, anxiety, sleep, or pain as compared with the control group.

Herein, we report co-encapsulation of ofloxacin with tea tree or lavender oil in gellan gum based hydrogel films by solvent casting ionotropic gelation method as wound dressing. Prepared films were transparent, flexible, and displayed antioxidant activity with superior antibacterial response against common inhabitants of wound i.e. gram positive and negative bacteria. Solid-state characterization of optimized formulation (OL3 and OT3) revealed successful incorporation of drug and oils in hydrogel structure without any noticeable interaction. In vitro release studies showed an initial burst release but remaining portion released in controlled manner over 48 h from the films and furthermore, presence of oils did not affected the ofloxacin release. Optimized formulation containing ofloxacin and 25% w/w lavender/tea tree oil showed 98% wound contraction in rats after ten days of treatment. Histological images displayed completely healed epidermis. Taken together, our prepared hydrogel films demonstrated favorable features with appreciable antibacterial, wound healing activity and could be useful for the treatment of full thickness wounds.

Herpes labialis, caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, is usually characterized by painful skin or mucosal lesions. Penciclovir (PV) tablets are found to be effective against herpes labialis but suffer from poor oral bioavailability. This study aimed to combine the benefits of PV and lavender oil (LO), which exhibits anesthetic activity, in the form of a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) for the treatment of herpes labialis. Toward this purpose, LO (oil), Labrasol:Labrafil M1944 CS in the ratio of 6:4 (surfactant mixture), and Lauroglycol-FCC (co-surfactant, selected based on the solubility of PV) were evaluated as the independent factors using a distance quadratic mixture design. The formulation was optimized for the minimum globule size and maximum stability index and was determined to contain 14% LO, 40.5% Labrasol:Labrafil 1944 (6:4), and 45.5% Lauroglycol-FCC. The optimized PV-LO-SNEDDS was embedded in chitosan hydrogel and the resulting formulations coded by (O3) were prepared and evaluated. The rheological studies demonstrated a combined pseudoplastic and thixotropic behavior with the highest flux of PV permeation across sheep buccal mucosa. Compared to a marketed 1% PV cream, the O3 formulation exhibited a significantly higher and sustained PV release, nearly twice the PV permeability, and a relative bioavailability of 180%. Overall, results confirm that the O3 formulation can provide an efficient delivery system for PV to reach oral mucosa and subsequent prolonged PV release. Thus, the PV-LO-SNEDDS embedded oral gel is promising and can be further evaluated in clinical settings to establish its therapeutic use in herpes labialis.

To evaluate the effect of using lavender oil as an olfactory stimulus with vestibular rehabilitation (VR) on balance, fear of falling down, and activities of daily living of people with multiple sclerosis.Forty participants were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group did the VR exercises while smelling the lavender oil scents. The control group did the VR exercises without it. Both groups did the exercises in ten 45-min sessions. We assessed the participants with the timed up and go (TUG) test, Berg balance scale (BBS), fall efficacy scale - international (FES-I), and the 29-item multiple sclerosis impact scale (MSIS-29). We did the tests at the baseline and after the last exercise session.The experimental group performed significantly better in the BBS (Using lavender oil as olfactory stimulus while doing the VR exercises can improve balance and reduce fear of falling down compared to doing the VR exercises without it in people with multiple sclerosis.Implications for rehabilitationIt seems that using lavender oil, as an olfactory stimulus, while doing vestibular rehabilitation exercises can improve balance and reduce fear of falling down in people with multiple sclerosis compared to doing the vestibular rehabilitation exercises without it.This treatment significantly alleviates the psychological effects of multiple sclerosis on daily life such as sleeping problems, feeling unwell, anxious, tense, depressed, etc.

Background Silexan is a lavender essential oil with established anxiolytic and calming efficacy. Here we asked whether there is a potential for abuse in human patients. Methods We carried out a phase I abuse liability single-center, double-blind, 5-way crossover study in healthy users of recreational central nervous system depressants. They received single oral doses of 80 mg (therapeutic dose) and 640 mg Silexan, 2 mg and 4 mg lorazepam (active control) and placebo in randomized order, with 4- to 14-day washout periods between treatments. Pharmacodynamic measures included validated visual analogue scales assessing positive, negative, and sedative drug effects and balance of effects; a short form of the Addiction Research Center Inventory; and a drug similarity assessment. The primary outcome measure was the individual maximum value on the drug liking visual analogue scale during 24 hours post-dose. Results Forty participants were randomized and 34 were evaluable for pharmacodynamic outcomes. In intraindividual head-to-head comparisons of the drug liking visual analogue scale maximum value, both doses of Silexan were rated similar to placebo whereas differences were observed between Silexan and lorazepam and between placebo and lorazepam (P Conclusions Silexan did not exhibit any abuse potential in a standard abuse potential detection screen study and is unlikely to be recreationally abused.

© 2021 Sigma Theta Tau International.Purpose: This study assessed the effects of massage therapy using 5% lavender oil on the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and the quality of life (QoL) of patients on hemodialysis (HD). Design and methods: This is a randomized placebo-controlled study with a pretest–posttest design. This study was conducted from January 30, 2019, to May 6, 2019, at HD centers in Turkey, and it includes 58 participants—31 study patients and 27 controls. Data were collected using patient identification form, RLS severity rating scale, Kidney Disease Quality of Life Scale (KDQOLTM-36) and patient follow-up charts. As per the massage therapy protocol, the patients in the study and control groups received massage therapy with lavender oil and baby oil, respectively. Findings: RLS severity significantly decreased in all follow-up weeks in the study group and in the first, second, and third follow-up weeks in the control group. There were significant differences between the groups in terms of KDQOLTM-36 subscales and total scores at the initial and final follow-ups. Conclusion: In HD patients, massage with lavender oil lessened the severity of RLS and improved the QoL. Accordingly, this therapy can be recommended to HD patients. Clinical relevance: Massage therapy during HD sessions is easy, inexpensive, and patient-friendly with no side effects. It is known to reduce symptoms and enable the patients to easily perform daily activities of living. Massage therapy with lavender oil is effective and can be easily applied to patients with RLS by nurses. Trial registration: This study was registered under the Clinical Trials protocol registration system (NCT04630470) upon completion.

Relevance. The use of chemical fungicides in protecting plants from pathogens is the most common way, despite the proven danger of pesticides. The use of biofungicides based on essential oils of medicinal plants, which also have phytoncidal properties, can be a suitable alternative to chemical preparations. In the years favorable for the development of alternariosis or cladosporiosis, spots appear on the plants, leading to necrosis and significant loss of seed productivity. Therefore, the search for new effective and safe means of combating fungal phytopathogens becomes relevant.Methods. Alternaria alternata (2018-1.1) and Cladosporium cladosporioides (2019-11.4) strains were isolated from leaves with signs of alternariosis and cladosporiosis, on which the essential oils Abies alba, Artemisia vulgaris, Caryophyllus aromaticus, Coriandrum sativum, Lavandula officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, Pimpinella anisum, Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia sclarea, Thymus vulgaris. The antifungal activity of essential oils was evaluated by comparing the diameter of the experimental (with the addition of essential oil to the Petri dish) and control colonies using the author’s scale.Results. All studied essential oils had antifungal properties, but species-specificity was observed. Essential oils of basil, coriander and thyme showed a fungicidal effect on C. cladosporioides and A. alternata. Lavender oil proved to be a fungicide for A. alternata and a strong fungistatic for C. cladosporioides. To create biological products for plant protection against alternariosis, sage essential oil (moderate fungistatic effect) may also be of interest, and cladosporiosis - anise and rosemary oils.

To determine the effect of aromatherapy with rose and lavender on the patient outcomes after open‐heart surgery (OHS). In the clinical trial, patients were randomized to four groups. One group received routine care, the placebo group received a cotton swab soaked in water and the other two groups received either a cotton swab containing three drops of rose or lavender essence (0.2 ml). A total of 160 patients were randomized into four groups. Intergroup anxiety was not significantly different; however, the reciprocal time‐group effect was significant among the four groups. The extubation time was significant among the four groups which related to rose essence group compared with the control group (p < .001) and placebo group (p = .029). The surgical site pain was significant in the rose essence and lavender groups compared to the control group. Aromatherapy can reduce extubation time, surgical site pain severity, and anxiety in patients undergoing OHS

This study was conducted to determine the effects of lavender oil on the levels of anxiety and vital signs in benign prostate hyperplasia patients (BPH) in their preoperative period.This was a quasi-experimental study and a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The population of the study consisted of elderly male patients who were hospitalized at the urology clinic of a hospital in Turkey, eligible for inclusion, and who were scheduled to undergo BPH surgery. These patients had a prostate mass30 g on which medical treatment and minimal surgical treatment had not been succesful but which could be cured through open prostatectomy surgery and transurethral resection of the prostate. The sample consisted of 110 patients selected by the convenience sampling method and determined based on power analysis.According to data analysis, both groups showed significantly reduced anxiety after the smelling lavender oil. However, the experimental group reported a significantly higher decrease in anxiety [mean change: -38.47 (SD 8.68) vs -2.78 (SD 3.27)] in comparison to the control group (p 0.001). The posttest mean vital signs of the groups were compared and there was a statistically significant decrease in respiration and increase in oxygen saturation (p 0.05).The findings showed that lavender oil inhalation reduced anxiety levels and had effects on the vital signs of BPH patients in their preoperative period.

Objectives To determine the effects of glycerin oil and lavender oil massages on hemodialysis patients’ restless legs syndrome (RLS). Methods Ninety hemodialysis patients with RLS were randomly allocated into two intervention groups and one control group, each consisting of 35 participants. The control group received routine care, and the intervention groups received effleurage massages with lavender and glycerin oil in addition to routine care for one month. RLS intensity was measured among the three groups using the Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale. Results At the beginning of the study, the results showed no significant difference among the three groups’ scores. At the end of the study, the mean RLS scores were significantly lower in the intervention groups compared to the control group ( F = 63.4, p ≤ 0.001). This difference was not significant between the two intervention groups; nonetheless, the differences between the control and lavender oil groups, as well as the control and glycerin oil groups, were significant ( p Conclusion The findings showed the effectiveness of the oils through the effleurage massage for reducing RLS in a sample of hemodialysis patients.

Summary: Purpose: Although lavender is purported to possess anxiolytic and sedative properties and is often recommended for relieving anxiety, the efficacy of lavender has not been well established. Thus, this review aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic effects of lavender aromatherapy. Methods: Ten data bases were searched for studies published between 2000 and 2018. Randomized controlled trials investigating the anxiolytic effects of lavender aromatherapy with any type of application for persons with or without clinical anxiety were included. The outcome variables included self-rated anxiety, vital signs, and salivary cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA) levels. In the meta-analysis, standardized mean difference and 95% confidence interval were calculated as effect measures by applying the random effect model and inverse variance method. Results: Twenty-two trials met our inclusion criteria. Lavender aromatherapy was found to have favorable effects in relieving anxiety (Hedges’ ĝ = −0.65; 95% CI, −0.84 to −0.46) and decreasing systolic blood pressure (ĝ = −0.22; 95% CI, −0.43 to −0.02), heart rate (ĝ = −0.53; 95% CI, −0.74 to −0.32), and salivary cortisol (ĝ = −1.29; 95% CI, −2.23 to −0.35) and CgA (ĝ = −2.29; 95% CI, −3.24 to −1.34) levels. However, the meta-analysis did not reveal any significant effects of lavender on diastolic blood pressure (effect size: −0.17; 95% CI, −0.37–0.04). Conclusion: Aromatherapy using lavender oil might have favorable effects on anxiety and its physiological manifestations. Future studies are recommended with an emphasis on methodological quality. In nursing practice, it is suggested that lavender aromatherapy be included in programs intended to manage anxiety in patients across diverse healthcare settings. Keywords: anxiety, aromatherapy, lavandula, meta-analysis, systematic review

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of thyme (Thymus vulgaris l.) and lavender (Lavandula augustifolia m.) oils supplementation and their combination in broiler's diet on productive performance and some blood parameters. A total number of 120 broiler chicks (Arbor Acres) of one-week old were used in this study. Birds were randomly divided into 4 groups. The birds in each group were distributed to 3 replicates, 10 birds each. The first group (T1) was served as a control group and received only a basal diet. The 2nd group (T2) was fed basal diet supplemented with thyme oil at level of 0.4 ml/ kg diet. The 3th group (T3) was fed basal diet supplemented with lavender oil at level of 0.5 ml/ kg diet and 4th group (T4) was supplemented with mixture of thyme and lavender oils at levels of 0.4 and o.5 ml/kg diet, respectively. Results showed that supplementing thyme oil or mixture of thyme and lavender had no significant effect on live body weight (LBW) at the end of trial, while feed intake was significantly reduced, and feed conversion ratio was significantly improved compared with the control and lavender groups. Also, thyme and mixture group significantly increased thymus and bursa of Fabricius relative weights. Total blood protein, total albumin and total globulin were significantly increased by adding thyme or mixture of oils to broiler diet. Whilst, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL were significantly decreased, and HDL was significantly increased by adding thyme oil to broiler diet.

Background Central precocious puberty (CPP) is caused by early activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis but its major cause remains unclear. Studies have indicated an association between chronic environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pubertal onset. Essential oil is widely used in homes worldwide for relief of respiratory symptoms, stress, and/or sleep disturbance. Methods To evaluate this association, we compared the hormone levels and timing of vaginal opening (VO) in female rats exposed to lavender oil (LO) through different routes (study groups: control, LO nasal spray [LS], and indoor exposure to LO [LE]) during the prepubertal period. The body weights of the animals were also compared every 3 days until the day of VO, at which time gonadotropin levels and internal organ weights were assessed. Results The LS group showed early VO at 33.8 ± 1.8 days compared with the control (38.4 ± 2.9 days) and LE (36.6 ± 1.5 days) groups. Additionally, luteinizing hormone levels were significantly higher in the LE and LS groups than those in the control group. Body weights did not differ significantly among the groups. Conclusion Inhalation exposure to an exogenic simulant during the prepubertal period might trigger early pubertal onset in female rats. Further evaluation of exposure to other endocrine-disrupting chemicals capable of inducing CPP through the skin, orally, and/or nasally is warranted., Graphical Abstract

Essential oils have been studied for various applications, including for therapeutic purposes. There is extensive literature regarding their properties; however, their low stability limits their application. Generally, the microencapsulation of essential oils allows enhanced stability and enables the potential incorporation in solid dosage forms. Lavender and peppermint oils were encapsulated in microparticles using a spray-drying technique under optimized conditions: 170 °C temperature, 35 m3/h aspiration volume flow, and 7.5 mL/min feed flow. Arabic gum and maltodextrin were used as coating polymers individually in varying concentrations from 5 to 20% (w/v) and in combination. The microparticles were studied for morphology, particle size, oil content, and flowability. The formulated powder particles showed a high yield of 71 to 84%, mean diameter 2.41 to 5.99 µm, and total oil content of up to 10.80%. The results showed that both the wall material type and concentration, as well as the type of essential oil, significantly affected the encapsulation process and the final particle characteristics. Our study has demonstrated that the encapsulation of lavender and peppermint oils in Arabic gum/maltodextrin microparticles by spray-drying represents a feasible approach for the conversion of liquids into solids regarding their further use in powder technology.

In general, emergency departments (EDs) are stressful workplaces with excessive workloads and time pressures. Crowding, which is an important problem worldwide disrupting ED functions, leads further increases in the stressors which health care workers are exposed to. Long-term exposure to stressors can lead to anxiety in health care workers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy on crowding-related anxiety in ED health care workers. Crowding was measured simultaneously with the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale objectively and the Health Care Workers' Crowding Perception Evaluation Form subjectively. The state-trait anxiety level was measured at each crowding level according to the health care workers' perception. When perceived crowding was at severely overcrowding level, lavender oil aromatherapy was applied. Anxiety level was measured before and after aromatherapy. Aromatherapy was repeated 3 times on different days. A significant positive correlation was found between state anxiety level and perceived crowding (r = 0.415, p < 0.001). Aromatherapy was found to have a significant correlation in reducing the overcrowding-related anxiety in health care workers (p < 0.05). This study showed that there is a significant correlation between anxiety level and perceived crowding, and aromatherapy is related to a decrease in overcrowding-related anxiety. In EDs, lavender oil aromatherapy can be used as a complementary method in reducing the overcrowding-related anxiety. But further researches are needed to verify that aromatherapy has a causative effect on reducing overcrowding-related anxiety.

Background Patients undergoing haemodialysis suffer from anxiety and pain due to the insertion of haemodialysis needles, estimated totally 320 times per year. Aims This randomized controlled trial was conducted in order to determine the effect of lavender aromatherapy, performed through inhalation for five minutes three times a week, on pain and anxiety experienced by patients undergoing haemodialysis after needle insertion into a fistula. Design Patient information form, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were applied to patients in the intervention group at the first follow up (the first interview before aromatherapy administration). Settings The researcher completed the data collection forms by conducting face-to-face interview with the patients and applied lavender oil to all the patients in the intervention group at the last hour of every dialysis session. Participants/Subjects Totally three sessions were carried out as three times for one week in accordance with protocol of aromatherapy inhalation. Methods It took 5 minutes to complete each session. Olive oil was applied to the placebo group since it has no therapeutic value. At the end of the application, NRS and STAI were applied to the patients again. Results The use of lavander aromatherapy significantly reduced the scores of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) puncture-related pain, which was 6.24±1.24 in the first session, to 3.56±1.28 in the second session (p=0.002). It was found that scores of STAI obtained at the first follow-up) were higher in the intervention group than the placebo group but the difference between them was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The STAI mean scores of the patients in the intervention group after aromatherapy were 39.12±6.71 in the state anxiety subscale and30.04±1.39 in the trait anxiety subscale. All subscale scores of STAI decreased significantly in the intervention group in the second follow-up compared to the first follow-up (p Conclusions Lavender inhalation could be used as a safe, simple, and low-cost method in nursing care if it is proved to be effective in reducing anxiety and relieving pain after needle insertion into a fistula in patients undergoing haemodialysis.

ContextPrevious case reports associated prepubertal gynecomastia with lavender-containing fragrances, but there appear to be no reports of premature thelarche.ObjectiveTo add to a case series about lavender-fragranced product use and breast growth in children and to measure endocrine-disrupting chemical activity of essential oil components.Design, Setting, and PatientsPatients experiencing premature thelarche or prepubertal gynecomastia with continuous exposure to lavender-fragranced products were evaluated in the pediatric endocrinology departments of two institutions. Mechanistic in vitro experiments using eight components of lavender and other essential oils were performed at National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.Main Outcome MeasuresCase reports and in vitro estrogen and androgen receptor gene expression activities in human cell lines with essential oils.ResultsThree prepubertal girls and one boy with clinical evidence of estrogenic action and a history of continuous exposure to lavender-containing fragrances were studied. Breast growth dissipated in all patients with discontinuation of the fragranced products. Some of the components tested elicited estrogenic and antiandrogenic properties of varying degrees.ConclusionWe report cases of premature thelarche that resolved upon cessation of lavender-containing fragrance exposure commonly used in Hispanic communities. The precise developmental basis for such conditions could be multifactorial. In vitro demonstration of estrogenic and antiandrogenic properties of essential oil components suggests essential oils in these cases could be considered a possible source and supports a possible link with idiopathic prepubertal breast development. Whether the level of lavender oil estrogenic potency is sufficient to cause these effects is unknown.

Introduction: Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menses with cramping sensation in the lower abdomen with normal ovulatory cycles which has no pelvic pathology. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of inhalation of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil on alleviating primary dysmenorrhea.Methods: This randomized double-blinded clinical trial included 96 students (48 in lavender and 48 in placebo groups) from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Single students with regular menstrual cycles suffering from primary dysmenorrhea regarding the verbal multi-dimensional scoring system were included. The intervention group was administered to inhale lavender essential oil (diluted in sesame oil in 2:1 ratio). The control group only inhaled sesame essential oil. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain score at the baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 48 hours after intervention. Generalized estimation equations method was used for data analysis.Results: The students’ mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 20.32±1.38 years. No significant difference was found in demographic and menstrual characteristics between groups. The mean VAS was not significantly different between groups at the baseline. Lavender inhalation reduced the mean±SD primary dysmenorrhea score of 2.92±0.2 according to VAS significantly during 48 first hours adjusted for baseline VAS (P < 0.001).Conclusion: It could be concluded that lavender inhalation can decrease primary dysmenorrhea. The observed effectiveness of lavender inhalation as an inexpensive therapy without evidence of adverse event supports the interest for potential application of this therapy.

WOS: 000469462400016 PubMed ID: 30660371 Purpose: Anxiety is a common problem before surgery. This study aimed to investigate the effects of inhaling lavender oil on anxiety levels in patients before breast surgery. Design: A randomized controlled design was used. Methods: The study was conducted in surgery clinics of a university hospital in Adana, Turkey. The study included a total of 80 patients, 40 patients in the intervention group, and 40 patients in the control group, who were scheduled for breast surgery. Lavender oil was used by inhalation. A Personal Information Form and the State Anxiety Inventory were used to collect data. Findings: The mean State Anxiety Inventory pretest and post-test scores were 43.00 +/- 11.48 and 37.28 +/- 9.93, respectively, in the intervention group, indicating a statistically significant difference (P < .05). The mean pretest and post-test State Anxiety Inventory scores were 44.6 +/- 11.45 and 42.43 +/- 11.48, respectively, in the control group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P > .05). Conclusions: Inhalation of lavender oil before breast surgery decreased anxiety levels of patients. Our study results suggest that the inhalation of lavender oil offered by nurses has positive effects in reducing anxiety levels.

Polysorbate 80 is one of the most widely used solubilizing agents in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Influences of different classes of solubilizates and additives on its self-assembly characteristics are however, not sufficiently understood yet. In this manuscript, we show how common water structure making salt NaCl, and lipophilic phytochemicals like curcumin and lavender oil help in modulating the structure of Polysorbate 80 micelles in aqueous medium. Our DLS, SANS and rheological studies show that NaCl induces sphere-to-rod growth of polysorbate 80 micelles at the room temperature. Micellar solubilizations of the phytochemicals, which were found to be facilitated with increase in temperature, induce only a marginal growth of the micelles up to the highest level of solubilization. Their presence however, helps in modulating the NaCl induced micellar growth behavior in the tween 80 solutions leading to observation of micelle-to-vesicle structural transition at 2% lavender oil concentration. The phytochemical solubilized micellar solutions could be converted to alginate based hydrogel beads and patches that can freely release micellar phytochemical in aqueous medium. Our results shed light on possible ways of modulating the solubilization behavior, self-assembly characteristics and rheological properties of aqueous system of polysorbate 80, which could be important for their applications.

Introduction Sleep disorder is a common problem in cardiac patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of massage and aromatherapy massage on sleep quality of cardiac patients. Materials and methods in this study, 150 subjects were randomly allocated into 1)massage, 2)aromatherapy massage and 3)control. In the massage group, the subjects received hands and feet massage using sweet almond oil. In the second group, the massage was performed on the same areas using a mixture of lavender and sweet almond oil. Data collection tool included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Before and after the intervention, the PSQI was completed by the subjects. Results There was a significant difference between the mean scores of PSQI before and after the intervention in the intervention and control groups, but this difference was not statistically significant between the two intervention groups. Conclusion Massage and aromatherapy massage can improve the sleep quality in cardiac patients.

Objective The present study was conducted as a randomised controlled design in order to evaluate the effect of lavender oil inhalation on pain development during vascular access among patients undergoing haemodialysis. Methods The study was conducted involving a total of 60 patients receiving treatment at the haemodialysis unit of a public hospital. The data of study were collected using a questionnaire and a Visual Analogue Scale. Lavender oil inhalation containing a 1:10 ratio of lavender and sweet almond oil was prepared. Results The pain mean score of the intervention group was 3.8 ± 0.3 prior to the application of lavender oil inhalation and decreased to 3.0 ± 0.2 following the inhalation application; whereas, the pain mean score of the control group increased from 5.4 ± 0.3 to 5.6 ± 0.6. Conclusion It was observed that applying lavender oil inhalation to patients undergoing haemodialysis did decrease pain level experienced by patients during vascular access and caused no negative effects.

Free essential oils and their active components have a low physiochemical stability and low aqueous solubility which limit their applications as food preservatives and in packaging industry. The aim of this study was to characterize the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities and antimicrobial activity of randomly methylated β cyclodextrin (RAMEB) encapsulated thyme oil, lemon balm oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil and their active components that include thymol, citral, linalool, menthol and borneol. Inclusion complex formation of essential oils (EOs) and RAMEB were evaluated by several methods. Antioxidant capacities of RAMEB-EOs/components were reported to be more stable than free EOs/components (P 0.05). Rapid SYBR green I/propidium iodide live/dead microbial cellular discrimination assay for Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus showed similar results when compared with flow cytometry analysis (P 0.01) suggesting that our novel microplate fluorescence method could be applied for the fast live/dead microbial discrimination in antimicrobial assays.

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury following kidney transplantation has been found to be a great clinical problem owing to initiation of acute inflammatory responses and subsequently rapid loss of kidney function. It is well known that lavender oil exhibits an extensive spectrum of pharmacological and biochemical activities. The purpose of this study was to clarify molecular targets of lavender in treatment of this disease.Male Wistar rats weighing 200–250 g were divided into three major groups: sham, I/R, and I/R + different doses of lavender oil (L1:50 mg/kg, L2: 100 mg/kg, and L3: 200 mg/kg). A rat model of renal I/R (45 min ischemia and 24 h reperfusion) was created and lavender was administrated at 1 h after the beginning of reperfusion (i.p). Activities of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, GPX, and CAT, and lipid peroxidation were evaluated. The expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα, IL1β, and IL10 was determined by IHC and ELISA assay. Apoptosis activity and tissue damage were evaluated by TUNEL and H & E staining, respectively.Our results showed that lavender oil markedly restored activities of antioxidant enzymes and reduced lipid peroxidation (P

The interest in functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) for multiple biomedical application has been increasing in recent years. CNCs are suitable to functionalization with an array of polymers, generating chemically related nanomaterials with different morphologies, surface charges that can affect bioreactivity, including immune response. In this study, we sought to understand the mechanistic differences regarding immunological responses evoked by functionalized CNCs and whether surface charges play a role in this effect. We investigated the effect of a cationic, CNCs-poly(APMA), and an anionic, CNCs-poly(NIPAAm) derivatives on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, mitochondria-derived ROS and mitochondrial function and antioxidant response as well as on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in human and murine inflammatory cells. The cationic CNCs-poly(APMA) evoked a more robust immunological response in murine cell line, while the anionic CNCs-poly(NIPAAm) showed a significant NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent and independent immunological response in human monocytes. Moreover, CNCs-poly(NIPAAm) induced greater formation of acidic vesicular organelles, mitochondrial ROS in non-stimulated cells while CNCs-poly(APMA) mainly affected mitochondrial function by decreasing the intracellular ATP. The differences on the biological responses may be related to the surface charges of CNCs, and their likely interactions with intra and extracellular biomolecules.

Sleep quality is important to health and life quality. Lack of sleep can lead to a variety of health issues and reduce in daytime function. Recent study by Fultz et al. also indicated that sleep is crucial to brain metabolism. Delta power in sleep EEG often indicates good sleep quality while alpha power usually indicates sleep interruptions and poor sleep quality. Essential oil has been speculated to improve sleep quality. Previous studies also suggest essential oil aroma may affect human brain activity when applied awake. However, those studies were often not blinded, which makes the effectiveness and mechanism of aroma a heavily debated topic. In this study, we aim to explore the effect of essential oil aroma on human sleep quality and sleep EEG in a single-blinded setup. The aroma was released when the participants are asleep, which kept the influence of psychological expectation to the minimum. We recruited nine young, healthy participants with regular lifestyle and no sleep problem. All participants reported better sleep quality and more daytime vigorous after exposing to lavender aroma in sleep. We also observed that upon lavender aroma releases, alpha wave in wake stage was reduced while delta wave in slow-wave sleep (SWS) was increased. Lastly, we found that lavender oil promote occurrence of SWS. Overall, our study results show that essential oil aroma can be used to promote both subjective and objective sleep quality in healthy human subjects. This makes aroma intervention a potential solution for poor sleep quality and insomnia.

Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common Gram-negative bacterium associated with nosocomial respiratory infections. Lavender essential oil is mainly used in aromatherapy, but it has several pharmacological and therapeutic properties. Furthermore, it possesses antifungal and antibacterial activities. The anti-inflammatory activity of essential oils may depend on the composition and the ratio of the compounds. The constitution of the essential oils extracted from the different stages of flowering period varies, which makes it plausible that the collection time of the flowers influences the anti-inflammatory effects. Different types of essential oils reduce inflammation acting similarly by modulating the activity and action of the NFκB signalling pathway, which is the major regulator of the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Methods Lavender essential oils were distilled from lavender plant cultivated in Hungary and the flowers were harvested at the beginning and at the end of flowering period. The experiments were carried out on THP-1 human monocyte/macrophage cell line as in vitro cell culture model for monitoring the effects of lavender essential oils and the main compound linalool on P. aeruginosa LPS stimulated inflammation. The mRNA and protein levels of four pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8 and TNFα were determined by Real Time PCR and ELISA measurements. The effects of essential oils were compared to the response to two NFκB inhibitors, luteolin and ACHP. Results Linalool and lavender essential oil extracted from plants at the beginning of flowering period were successful in decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine production following LPS pretreatment. In case of IL-8 and IL-1β lavender oil showed stronger effect compared to linalool and both of them acted similarly to NFκB inhibitors. Pretreatments with linalool and lavender essential oil/beginning of flowering period prevented pro-inflammatory cytokine production compared to LPS treatment alone. Although lavender essential oil/end of flowering period decreased IL-6, IL-1β and IL-8 mRNA expression in case of LPS pretreatment, it was not capable to reduce cytokine secretion. Conclusion Based on our results it has been proven that lavender essential oil extracted at the beginning of flowering period is a potent inhibitor of the synthesis of four pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-β and TNFα of THP-1 cells. This supports the relevance of the collection of the lavender flowers from early blooming period for essential oil production and for the utilization as an anti-inflammatory treatment.

Objectives: Aromatherapy has become popular in pain control in recent years compared with other complementary methods. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Miller) is a fragrant essential oil used in aromatherapy for its antibacterial, antifungal, muscle-relaxing, and analgesic effects. The smell of lavender oil, known for its soothing effect on adults, has not been adequately investigated in regards to pain control in premature infants. The purpose of our study was to assign the effect of the scent of lavender oil on pain in preterm infants during heel lancing.