The Study of Aromatherapy

The use of aromatherapy to improve health does have some plausible biological basis. Smells do have a direct impact on the overall health and effects our body experiences. Scientists Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck received a Nobel Prize two years ago for their extensive research on smell.

However, aromatherapy itself has very little solid science that can prove it works. Therefore, many scientists are starting to realize the importance of studying aromatherapy. The federal government has very little science to prove aromatherapy and you can't find any scientific information on their website the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. This is despite the federal government currently funding a scientific study into aromatherapy.

Those who support the use of aromatherapy do have some proof. The proof comes in the form of data that shows how some scents such as rose can lower blood pressure while patients can reduce the number of antidepressants they take if they use lemon oil. However, more in depth studies haven't been conducted to show the full benefits of aromatherapy.

Perhaps one of the hardest issues in studying aromatherapy is the fact that positive effects are difficult to notice and measure while negative effects are very plain and easy to notice. This may be because the brain is easily programmed to interpret bad smells and the brain is highly conditioned to receive certain smells. A persons reaction to smells also depends on their expectations. Therefore, until specific studies are done it can be difficult to pinpoint the benefits of aromatherapy.