Aroma oil therapy in palliative care: a pilot study with physiological parameters in conscious as well as unconscious patients.

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol.

2017 Oct;143(10):2123-2129. doi: 10.1007/s00432-017-2460-0. Epub 2017 Jun 20.; 

Author Information: Goepfert M1, Liebl P2, Herth N1, Ciarlo G1, Buentzel J3, Huebner J4.

RESULTS: Healthy test persons reacted to lemon oil with a significant increase in respiration rate, heart rate and diastolic blood pressure, whereas to lavender oil with a significant decrease in respiration rate was measured. Conscious and unconscious patients reacted with a significant increase in all measured parameters to lemon oil and with a significant decrease in all parameters except for oxygen saturation to lavender oil. No significant differences in the reactions were measured between the conscious and unconscious patients and no significant reactions to control stimuli were detected. All physiological reactions were very short and only detectable during stimulus presentation.

CONCLUSION: Significant physiological reactions were measured after stimulation with aroma oils in all three groups in this study. Healthy probands showed different reactions than palliative patients irrespective to their conscious state.