Inhaled aromatherapy via brain-targeted nasal delivery offers a potentially effective treatment for mental disorders and deserves further study. The study cited below concluded that aromatherapy does not cause side effects, which is quite different from commonly used psychotropic medications.
Inhaled aromatherapy has demonstrated unique benefits for the treatment of mood disorders, particularly depression, anxiety, and mental health conditions such as sleep disturbances, which have been validated over the past decade in clinical and animal studies.
Aromatherapy is an alternative and complementary treatment that uses essential oils or volatile oils to achieve major therapeutic goals.
In general, essential oils enter the body primarily through skin absorption and/or nasal inhalation.
Growing evidence has shown that essential oils or volatile oils can bypass the blood-brain barrier to target brain tissue through the nasal-brain pathway. They then act on the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and limbic system of the brain to improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and improve sleep quality.
This was revealed by this study which reviews the volatile substances or essential oils of natural aromatic plants commonly used as adjuvants to manage mood disorders and illustrates the mechanisms of inhalation aromatherapy, and mainly summarizes the application of transnasal inhalation aromatherapy in depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.
Study reference:
Cui Jieqiong, Li Meng, Wei Yuanyuan, Li Huayan, He Xiying, Yang Qi, Li Zhengkun, Duan Jinfeng, Wu Zhao, Chen Qian, Chen Bojun, Li Gang, Ming Xi, Xiong Lei, Qin Dongdong. Inhalation Aromatherapy via Brain-Targeted Nasal Delivery: Natural Volatiles or Essential Oils on Mood Disorders. Frontiers in Pharmacology, volume 13, 2022, doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.860043, ISSN:1663-9812 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.860043
*Maison Jacynthe disclaims all liability. All information contained in this article is not intended to replace justified allopathic treatment or to disregard the expertise of the medical profession. It is up to each individual to take charge of their own health, to inform themselves, and to make the necessary changes to improve their condition. Therapeutic supervision by a qualified health professional is strongly recommended.
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