Aromatherapy

Aggressive Driving Tendencies? Peppermint Is A Science-Backed Solution

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Feeling road rage kick in when drivers cut you off? Before seeing red, try smelling minty green instead. New research reveals a few whiffs of peppermint essential oil can help keep cool on the road, reducing aggression and risky driving behaviors.

A new randomized controlled trial published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental found that exposure to the aroma of peppermint essential oil while driving can reduce aggressive driving behaviors (Moss, Ho, Swinburne, & Turner, 2023). The study built on prior research showing peppermint aroma improves driver alertness, with the goal of testing if it could also mitigate aggressive actions behind the wheel.

Fifty volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two groups: peppermint aroma exposure or no aroma exposure (control). They then completed a simulated driving experience for 15 minutes that aimed to provoke aggression through events like sudden braking and lane-cutting by other vehicles. The results showed those exposed to the peppermint aroma exhibited significantly fewer aggressive driving acts compared to controls, including less abrupt braking, negative comments about other drivers, stop sign violations and tailgating.

The researchers suggest small doses of peppermint aroma could be a useful way to curb aggressive tendencies during daily driving. They propose aroma devices inside vehicles may not only provide pleasant scents but also encourage safer driving habits. However, more research is still needed on the longevity of these effects over longer drives, optimal aroma delivery methods, and variability between individuals.

Overall, this promising study indicates ambient peppermint aroma can reduce aggression-linked driving actions in simulated conditions. While more studies are warranted, using scented air fresheners or essential oils while driving could be a simple approach to limit dangerous behaviors and improve road safety.  

Peppermint’s Healing Potential Extends Far Beyond the Road

As highlighted in this article, research shows peppermint aroma can mitigate aggressive driving tendencies. But the therapeutic versatility of peppermint extends much further.

Aromatherapy may reduce anxiety, pain in oculoplastic surgery

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In patients who had oculoplastic surgery with monitored anesthesia sedation, aromatherapy may be associated with less anxiety and pain, according to a presenter at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

“Aromatherapy has been shown to reduce preoperative anxiety, and its effectiveness has also been shown in ophthalmic procedures, namely cataract surgery, in reducing anxiety,” Michael Chang, MD, said in the presentation. “However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies on the effects of aromatherapy on patients undergoing oculoplastic surgeries have been studied, and therefore this is the main role of our current study.”

Candles

In a non-masked, placebo-controlled prospective study, Chang and colleagues randomly assigned 60 patients who underwent oculoplastic surgery with monitored anesthesia care sedation at Ruby Memorial Hospital, West Virginia, between August 2018 and November 2020 to the aromatherapy group or the control group.

A cotton pad was attached to participants’ gowns preoperatively; 32 patients had a lavender-, bergamot- or orange-infused pad, and 28 patients had a sham pad. The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale was used to measure preoperative anxiety traits and preoperative and postoperative anxiety states, and the visual analogue scale was used to measure anxiety and pain, according to the poster.

There were no significant differences in procedure type between the control and aromatherapy groups, with the most common procedures being ptosis repair, lesion excision and lateral tarsal strip. Thirteen patients had multiple procedures.

Compared with the control group, patients in the aromatherapy group had better anxiety and pain scores postoperatively.

“[Of] patients who received aromatherapy, the majority of them had improved postoperative anxiety, whereas if you looked at the control group, more patients compared to the aromatherapy group had increased postoperative anxiety,” Chang said.

Patients in the aromatherapy group also spent less time in the post-anesthesia care unit, which could financially benefit surgical centers, Chang said. Analysis of midazolam and dexmedetomidine use revealed neither was a significant contributor to outcomes.

“In conclusion, aromatherapy can be a safe treatment, but in addition, preoperative use of aromatherapy can have a synergistic effect with intraoperative anesthetics to reduce both pain and anxiety,” Chang said.

Evidence-Based Aromatherapy: Stress Relief And Much More

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The health benefits of aromatherapy can no longer be considered placebo in nature. Accumulating evidence now shows that the fragrance of flowers and other volatile plant compounds pack a punch as powerful as certain drugs.

Evidence-Based Aromatherapy: Stress Relief And Much More

In a day and age like ours, bouts of stress and anxiety are expected to occur at least occasionally during the course of daily life. In fact, if the experience is completely alien to you, you may not be paying attention to what’s going on in the world around us — or, you may be enlightened, and should be congratulated.

Certainly, anti-anxiety drugs can be effective, but they are also addictive and dangerous, with withdrawal symptoms that include seizures and, paradoxically, extreme anxiety. Because of this fact, natural alternatives are needed now more than ever.

Fortunately, finding a non-pharmaceutical solution is no longer simply a matter of guessing, or relying solely on the anecdotal accounts of others. There is an accumulating body of pre-clinical and clinical research available today demonstrating the power, safety and effectiveness of natural compounds for relieving stress and anxiety. In fact, some of these substances do not even require being ingested, as they can be inhaled in exceedingly small doses to be effective.

For example, back in 2002, an amazing discovery was reported in theJapanese Journal of Pharmacology. Researchers found that the simple inhalation of patchouli and rose oil reduced sympathetic nervous activity by 40%, with rose oil reducing adrenaline concentrations by 30%.

Such a profound reduction in fight-or-flight associated hormones is hard to accomplish through other non-toxic means. In fact, many folks use alcohol, tobacco and harder drugs, and even foods that contain opioid peptides, to self-medicate themselves down from the emotional cliff — but not without a wide range of unintended, adverse health effects. All the more reason to appreciate the power of therapeutic fragrances.

In turns out that many flowers are well-suited to calm the human body and soul, bringing them back into greater balance. Lavender oil, for instance, has also been studied for the ability to reduce stress,2 anxiety, aggression,3and cortisol levels,4 among two dozen other potential therapeutic properties.5  

Aromatherapy, of course, works primarily through the nose, but can also act through the lung and the skin. When inhaled, volatile aroma compounds from plants are capable of exerting direct-to-brain actions, primarily through the limbic and olfactory systems.  As opposed to the oral ingestion or topical application of a drug or herbal substance, aromatherapy usually offers a far higher margin of safety because the active compounds are small molecule.

Aromatherapy Offers Far More Than Stress Reduction

Stress and anxiety are only two of 30 potential therapeutic applications that have been studied in connection with aromatherapy.

Others of note include:

  • Dysmenorrhea (Menstraul Pain): Aromatherapy massage on the abdomen was found superior to Tylenol for alleviating menstrual pain in high school girls.6   Another study, this time in college students, found that the topical application of a combination of lavender, clary sage and rose essential oils was effective in decreasing the severity of menstrual cramps.7
  • Insomnia: Lavender fragrance has been found effective in a number of studies for treating mild insomnia.8, 9 Beyond sleep-promoting properties, lavender has also been found to simultaneously reduce depression in women college students.10
  • Excessive Chocolate Cravings: While there are worse addictions, jasmine essential oil has been found to reduce chocolate cravings.11
  • Reducing Tobacco Withdrawal: The inhalation of vapor from black pepper extract reduces smoking withdrawal symptoms.12
  • Arthritis Pain: The essential oils lavender, marjoram, eucalyptus, rosemary, and peppermint blended in proportions of 2:1:2:1:1, resulted in decreased pain and depression scores in arthritic patients.13
  • Infantile Colic: The use of aromatherapy massage using lavender oil was found to be effective in reducing the symptoms of colic.14
  • Alzheimer’s Disease: 28 days of aromatherapy consisting of the use of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening, resulted in significant improvement in personal orientation related to cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients.15
  • Migraines: Inhalation of lavender essential oil appears to be an effective and safe treatment modality in acute management of migraine headaches.16
  • Postpartum Depression: Aromatherapy-massage has been shown to have value for postpartum mothers in improving physical and mental status and to facilitate mother-infant interaction.

Citronella Oil: More Than Just a Bug Repellent

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If you are a fan of aromatherapy, you’re probably familiar with citronella oil. Citronella is also often added to a variety of personal care and cleaning products and provides numerous benefits.

citronella oil

Story at-a-glance

  • Citronella essential oil is one of the most common oils used in aromatherapy.
  • It is said that as an aromatherapy oil, citronella can help treat and prevent colds, fevers, and headaches. As a massage oil, it may relieve pain in individuals suffering from arthritis.

What Is Citronella Oil?

Citronella essential oil is obtained from the Cymbopogon genus plant family.1 More precisely, it is extracted through steam distillation of the grasses Cymbopogon nardus (Jowitt) and Cymbopogon winterianus (Rendal). This results in two types of citronella oil:2,3

  • Ceylon, which is obtained from C. nardus and is a native product of Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon). Ceylon citronella oil has a warm, citrusy, and wood scent, and has a pale to dark yellow color.
  • Java, which is distilled from C. winterianus. It also has a fresh lemon-like scent but is darker in color. Between the two, java citronella is considered the one with the higher quality.

Uses of Citronella Oil

Citronella oil is popularly used as an insect repellent. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies it as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action.4

Citronella oil can be found in dozens of registered pesticide products, such as sprays, lotions, and candles. At times, it is added to sunscreen, wristbands, and flea collars.5 Due to its antifungal properties, citronella oil is also used to treat insect bites.6

Citronella essential oil is one of the most common oils used in aromatherapy. It is said that as an aromatherapy oil, citronella can help treat and prevent colds, fevers, and headaches.7 As a massage oil, it may relieve pain in individuals suffering from arthritis.

The oil of citronella is also widely used in fragrances and personal care products. It is largely imported by Germany and France, two of the largest hubs for the perfume industry.8 Because of its antiseptic properties, citronella oil is also used in soaps, household cleaners, and detergents.

Research found that using citronella oil can help calm barking dogs.9 Citronella oil is also added as a food and beverage flavoring, such as in alcoholic drinks, frozen dairy, and gelatin and puddings.10

  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
  • Baked products
  • Frozen dairy
  • Gelatin and puddings
  • Soft and hard candies

Composition of Citronella Oil

Both types of citronella oil contain over 80 constituents, about 50 of which make up 90 percent of each oil.11 The main components of citronella oil are citronellol, citronellal, and geraniol. The two types of citronella oil vary in the amounts of geraniol and citronellal. Below are the main constituents of each oil:12

Ceylon Citronella Oil Java Ceylon Oil
Geraniol – 18 to 20 percent Geraniol – 21 to 24 percent
Citronellal – five to 15 percent Citronellal – 32 to 45 percent
Citronellol – 6.4 to 8.4 percent Citronellol – 11 to 15 percent
Geranyl acetate – two percent Geranyl acetate – three to eight percent
Limonene – nine to 11 percent Limonene – 1.3 to 3.9 percent
Methyl isoeugenol – 7.2 to 11.3 percent Elemol and sesquiterpene alcohols – two to five percent

Benefits of Citronella Oil

According to a paper in the International Journal of Advanced Research,13 citronella oil is noted for its efficiency in repelling mosquitoes – it provided about two hours of repellency in the study.

It has proven successful in repelling the dreaded Aedes aegypti, a species ofmosquito that spread diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Apart from being used on humans, citronella oil is also used to keep ticks away from livestock and pets.

In a 2011 issue of Tropical Medicine & International Health,14 an analysis of 11 studies on the capabilities of citronella oil found that when combined with vanillin, the essential oil likely provided up to three hours of protection against mosquitoes.

The study also pointed out comparable protection time against DEET, a chemical commonly found in chemical bug repellents.

The research stated that oil of citronella has potent antifungal properties that help suppress the growth of fungi species, such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, andEurotium.15 Citronella oil owes its antibacterial and antiseptic nature to compounds like methyl isoeugenol.

These compounds prevent the growth of bacteria in your body and help treat wounds, as well as infections that may occur in the colon, urethra, bladder, gastrointestinal tract, prostate, and kidneys.16

Citronella essential oil is often used in aromatherapy because it can provide relief from anxiety and a light feeling. It can also provide relief from menstrual cramps and muscle spasms. The oil can also help inhibit inflammation in the liver, stomach, and digestive tract.17

How to Make Citronella Oil

Citronella oil is widely available in in natural food and beauty stores. However, commercial oils processed through steam distillation may be pricey. A more practical solution would be to make your own citronella oil at home, There are sites that provide step-by-step guides on how to create citronella oil. Here is one from eHow.com:18

Ingredients/Materials:

  • ¼ ounce nard grass leaves and stems (you may use lemongrass as substitute)
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • Slow cooker (ex. Crock-Pot)
  • Cheesecloth

Instructions:

  1. Mix the olive oil and nard grass leaves and stems in the slow cooker.
  2. Leave and cook the mixture for about four to eight hours.
  3. With the cheesecloth, strain the mixture, which is actually the citronella oil. Remove nard grass.
  4. Repeat steps 1-3 with the strained mixture with fresh nard grass leaves and stems. No need to add more olive oil. Keep on repeating until the oil obtains the desired scent.
  5. Once done, seal the oil in a dark-colored jar. Store in a cool, dry place.

How Does Citronella Oil Work?

While citronella oil helps prevent mosquito bites, it does not kill mosquitoes. It only repels these insects by blocking the scent that attracts these bugs, causing them to become disoriented.19

Pure citronella essential oil should never be used directly on your skin, as this may cause sensitivities. It should be mixed with a carrier oil, like olive or coconut oil. Once diluted, citronella oil can also be inhaled. Just place a few drops onto a cloth or tissue, or using a diffuser.20

You may use citronella by itself or mix it with other natural agents. I’ve created my own natural insect repellent by combining citronella with other essential oils like lemongrass oil, peppermint, and vanillin. Since this formulation is all-natural, it’s safe and risk-free for both adults and children.

Is Citronella Oil Safe?

Citronella oil is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).21 The EPA also considers oil of citronella safe, as it has very little or no toxicities. If ingested, the major compounds of citronella are eliminated through urination.22

As I said earlier, avoid using pure citronella oil on your skin. Not only can this oil cause skin irritations or allergic reactions in people with sensitivities, it has been found to raise heart rate in some individuals.23

Pregnant women should be careful with using citronella oil, as their skin is extra sensitive during those nine months. One research found that there was a loss of spontaneous contractions in the uterus upon the in vitro use of citronella oil. While citronella may be used cautiously as a fragrance during this time, it is important to consult a physician first.24

Also, citronella oil should not be used on babies and young children due to their delicate skin. Parents should also be careful when administering the oil near the noses of children.25 Seek the advice of your pediatrician before using citronella oil on your children.

Can You Eliminate Stress with Aromatherapy?

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Aromatherapy is the use of essential plant oils to improve well being. The oils are often placed in diffusers and allowed to permeate the air. It’s a practice that’s been used for centuries to address psychologicaland other issues. Ancient Egyptians employed the use of essential oils and other plant substances for massages, bathing, and healing. One of the major uses of aromatherapy in the US is for stress management.

How Aromatherapy Works

Some of the methods of aromatherapy include aerial diffusion (typically with an oil burner), topical application, and inhalation. It’s even occasionally administered vaginally, rectally, and orally for things like infection and congestion. Many practitioners use only natural essential oils since synthetics don’t provide the same benefit as the natural compounds. Synthetic fragrance oils may also contain chemical additives that can irritate the skin if applied topically.

Aromatherapy and Massage

Massage is another stress-relieving technique that commonly employs essential oils, incorporating touch and the physical manipulation of joints and muscles to relieve tension and stress. When you go for a massage, ask your masseuse if they can use essential oils geared toward soothing, relaxing, and de-stressing. You may be able to bring your own oil to the session.

Aromatherapy for Stress Relief

Aromatherapy is very popular today for stress relief. [1] It offers a natural, organic alternative to pharmaceutical substances and works to enhance lifestyle modifications that further reduce stress. These natural lifestyle modifications are of course exercise, diet, meditation, and proper sunlight exposure. One primary application method for essential oils is indirect and direct inhalation. Through inhaling the oils (from a safe distance, of course), the brain reacts by slowing down. This elicits a deep level of relaxation.

Stress can hinder digestion, immune function, and increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. [2] [3] [4] While you may not be able to always eliminate a negative situation, aromatherapy is one effective way to combat the emotional upheaval that accompanies stressful events. Simply by reducing your negative emotions that surround a certain situation, you begin to change the way you think and act, thereby minimizing the situation.

The Dangers of Unmanaged Stress

  • Stress can affect your blood sugar levels, leading to hunger and, eventually, insulin insensitivity. [5]
  • Many people who do not properly manage their stress experience weight gain.
  • Premature aging is another possible danger of not properly managing your stress levels.
  • General pain throughout the body can be a side effect of unmanaged stress.

The Best Essential Oils to Try First

Some of the most popular essential oils with stress-relieving properties include geranium,  peppermint, lavender, jasmine, chamomile, and lemongrass. Add aromatherapy to your arsenal as you fight against stress. The benefits can be quite effective, and the ease of use makes it a great choice.

How to Use Essential Oils

Be sure to read your labels to make certain that your oil contains organic, all-natural essential oils. Because oils are concentrated, they can irritate the skin without a natural and benign carrier oil. Never apply essential oils to the skin without properly diluting it in a carrier oil like jojoba, olive, and coconut oil. You can apply the oils to clothes, handkerchiefs, pillows, and just about anything. One method of using aromatherapy is simply applying oils to your hands and breathing in the oil deeply.

How do you use essential oils? We’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

Article References

  1. Tang SK, Tse MY. Aromatherapy: does it help to relieve pain, depression, anxiety, and stress in community-dwelling older persons? Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:430195. doi: 10.1155/2014/430195.
  2. Bhatia V, Tandon RK. Stress and the gastrointestinal tract. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005 Mar;20(3):332-9.
  3. Suzanne C. Segerstrom and Gregory E. Miller. Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry. Psychol Bull. 2004 Jul; 130(4): 601-630. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601.
  4. Steptoe A, Kivimaki M. Stress and cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2012 Apr 3;9(6):360-70. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2012.45.
  5. Shiloah E, Witz S, Abramovitch Y, et al. Effect of acute psychotic stress in nondiabetic subjects on beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity. Diabetes Care. 2003 May;26(5): 1462-7.