| Aromatherapy | |
|---|---|
 A stylized diffuser and a bottle of essential oil | |
| Alternative therapy | |
| MeSH | D019341 |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Alternative medicine |
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Aromatherapy is a practice based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being.[1][2][3] It is used as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medicine, and typically is used via inhalation and not by ingestion.[2]
Fragrances used in aromatherapy are not approved as prescription drugs in the United States.[3] Although there is insufficient medical evidence that aromatherapy can prevent, treat or cure any disease,[1][2][4] aromatherapy is used by some people with diseases, such as cancer, to provide general well-being and relief from pain, nausea or stress.[1][2] People may use blends of essential oils as a topical application, massage, inhalation, or water immersion.[1][2][5] Due to the low quality of research evidence, it is uncertain if aromatherapy provides any benefit to people experiencing nausea after surgery.[6]
Essential oils comprise hundreds to thousands of aromatic constituents, like terpinoids and phenylpropanoids, and to sufficiently research the pharmacological effects of essential oil constituents, each isolated constituent in the selected essential oil would have to be studied.[2][3]
- ^ a b c d Farrar AJ, Farrar FC (December 2020). "Clinical Aromatherapy". The Nursing Clinics of North America. 55 (4): 489–504. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2020.06.015. PMC 7520654. PMID 33131627.
- ^ a b c d e f Editorial Board, PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies (13 January 2023). "Aromatherapy With Essential Oils". Bethesda (MD): National Cancer Institute, US National Institutes of Health. PMID 26389313. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Aromatherapy". US Food and Drug Administration. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Lee, Myeong Soo; Choi, Jiae; Posadzki, Paul; Ernst, Edzard (March 2012). "Aromatherapy for health care: An overview of systematic reviews". Maturitas. 71 (3): 257–260. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.12.018. PMID 22285469.
- ^ "Home remedies: What are the benefits of aromatherapy?". Mayo Clinic. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ Hines S, Steels E, Chang A, Gibbons K (March 2018). "Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018 (3): CD007598. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007598.pub3. PMC 6494172. PMID 29523018.