There are many excellent forms of natural anxiety treatment, and the benefits of lavender oil for anxiety definitely places this essential oil at the top of the list. Find out why you need it in your regime today and what you’ll receive from doing so.
What is lavender essential oil?
Excellent question! In order to understand the benefits of lavender oil for anxiety, you need to know what it is. 
Lavender essential oil is basically extracts of lavender (a flower) put into a bottle. However, not all essential oils are created equally. It’s important to opt for 100% extract as opposed to ‘lavender perfume’ or ‘lavender scent’.
How does lavender help with anxiety?
Lavender is highly sought after as a natural form of anxiety treatment because it has various calming and relaxing properties. The aroma triggers the nervous system to restore which helps induce feelings of inner peace, while decreasing tension, irritability, panic attacks, nervous stomach, restlessness, and sleep.
The Natural Medicine Journal describes it as such, “Lavender oil aromatherapy has been shown to be effective in the management of anxiety and depression and small and medium-sized controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials.”
How does essential oil help with mental health?
If you’re new to the idea of using essential oils to treat anxiety, you’re likely wondering how a scent can reduce anxiety symptoms. It’s all about aromatherapy.
National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy says, “[Aromatherapy] seeks to unify physiological, psychological and spiritual processes to enhance an individual’s innate healing process. ”
Aromatherapy is natural treatment used to battle various physical, emotional, mental, external, and internal health issues. You can inhale the scent or apply it topically. Which one you choose depends on what benefits you’re looking for.
Now, to break down how essential oils help mental health, I want you to think about the feeling you get when you get a breath of fresh air. You instantly feel relaxed, calm, collected or at the very least, better than you did breathing in stale air. That’s aromatherapy that you’re receiving from the earth. The scents of nature are stimulates your body, sending messages from your nose to your brain.
Essential oils basically capture that aroma in a bottle, allowing you to narrow in on the benefits you want. For example, if you want to experience the benefits of lavender for anxiety, without lavender essential oil, you would have to find a lavender field or plant. This isn’t always plausible, depending on where you live and what season it is. So, essential oils allow you to reap the benefits of various elements of the earth, from a bottle.
If you want to learn more about aromatherapy, I recommend looking into the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) and the International Federation of Aromatherapists (IFA).
9 Benefits of Lavender Oil for Anxiety
Now for the good stuff – the benefits of lavender oil for anxiety.
Studies prove lavender essential oil to reduce stress and anxiety
If you need proof and are all about science and facts, you just found it. The Handbook of Essential Oils: Science, Technology, and Applications states the various clinical trials that support of the evidence that essential oil is a powerful form of natural anxiety treatment.
Lavender essential oil capsules have been linked to reducing heart rate during periods of increased anxiety
There’s also a study conducted by United States National Library of Medicine that tested lavender essential oils in capsules, which you ingest orally. When participants watched an anxiety-inducing film, the heart rate variation from lavender was significantly improved in comparison to the placebo. In other words, the study concluded that lavender essential oil capsules may be able to help those with acute anxiety. However, the effects it has on high anxiety is still unknown.
Aromatherapy has been used to treat various ailments for hundreds of thousands of years
Think about what people used to treat anxiety and other illnesses prior to pharmaceutical companies dominating the world – natural ingredients. They used what they could find nature to treat all kinds of illnesses, diseases, mental health concerns, etc. As such, aromatherapy dates back to ancient Egypt, Sumeria, and China.
You can reap the lavender essential oil benefits for anxiety instantly and in several ways
Unlike other forms of natural anxiety treatment, the lavender essential oil benefits for anxiety are easy to obtain and instant. There are several ways to add some lavender into your life, from spritzer bottles to inhalers, diffusers, lotions and more. View the full list of lavender oil options here.
Lavender can be found in your blood stream in five minutes after application
When you take prescription medication, it takes a while for the effects to take place in your body. However, there have been some studies that show, when applied topically, the healing components of essential oils can be found in your bloodstream in as little as 5 minutes.
Lavender isn’t addictive
Lavender isn’t addicting. Even if you use it religiously and rely on the oil to live a normal life, there’s absolutely no harm in doing so. It’s completely natural and you can use it as much or as little as you choose.
Lavender essential oil capsules have proven to relieve anxiety and depression by reducing binding of serotonin
Back to the facts! There have been many scans of peoples brains after using lavender oil capsules which have shown to have the ability to significantly reduce the binding potential of Serotonin. You need serotonin to overcome anxiety and depression, and being able to reduce the elements that are taking away from them is huge in the regulation of anxiety.
Lavender helps depression
The first thing that follows a panic attack is depression. The two go hand-in-hand. Fortunately, lavender essential oil benefits for anxiety do extend into that realm of mental health as well.
Lavender essential oils can be as effective for GAD as prescribed medications
United States National Library of Medicine states, “Studies comparing effects from the unique lavender oil capsules and commonly prescribed anti-anxiety drugs suggest the anxiety relieving effects of the uniquely prepared, pharmaceutical quality lavender oil are comparable to the effects seen from commonly used synthetic anxiolytic medications, including the benzodiazepine lorazepam and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine prescribed in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).”
I could go on but I wouldn’t want to keep you from the lavender essential oil benefits for anxiety longer. This is honestly one of the most powerful forms of natural anxiety treatment. I highly rely on for overcoming panic attacks. So, grab some lavender essential oil. You won’t regret it.
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