​Aromatherapy Can Improve Cognition and Behavior

         Scientific “clinical trials have concluded that essential oils do provide a potentially effective treatment for psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.”
Rosemary oil improved cognitive performance and Lavender oil reduced aggressive behavior in AD patients.
“Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to improve physical and mental health,
either applied in a lotion and absorbed by the skin or inhaled. Aromatic oils from plants have been used for over 5,000 years: there are many references in the Bible to their use in mental and physical healing.”
1) Controlled clinical trials of aromatherapy
Rosemary has been long been linked to memory, with the most famous literary reference found in Hamlet when Ophelia declares: ‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.”
Researchers Mark Moss and Lorraine Oliver detail how blood levels of 1,8-cineole, a rosemary oil component, correlate with improved cognitive performance (Moss & Oliver 2012). Moss and colleagues compared the effects of inhaled rosemary oil, lavender oil and no odor, in a group of 144 subjects. “In the rosemary group, recall accuracy was significantly improved.”
In a 2013 study Dr. Moss said ‘We wanted to build on our previous research that indicated rosemary aroma improved long-term memory and mental arithmetic.”
Results showed that  “participants in the rosemary-scented room performed better on the prospective memory tasks - remembering events, remembering to complete tasks at particular times, and the speed of recall.”
 “blood analysis found that significantly greater amounts of 1,8-cineole were present in the plasma of those in the rosemary scented room, suggesting that sniffing the aroma led to higher concentrations.”
 “Researcher Jemma McCready said ‘The difference between the two groups was 60-75 percent, for example one group (the group inhaling rosemary) would remember to do seven things compared with four tasks completed by those who did not smell the oil, and they were quicker.”
“Sniffing the herb (rosemary) can increase memory by 75%”
2) HOW: Robert Tisserand suggests “just inhale a single drop of essential oil on a tissue (or use a diffuser). Inhale / diffuse for 15 minutes, then take a break for 30 minutes. Repeat. Continuous inhalation for several hours is not helpful. 2) “In folklore linen bags were filled with lavender flowers and placed under pillows in order to
facilitate sleep: one clinical trial showed that use of lavender increased sleep patterns of
dementia patients who were in residential care.”

[1] In a trial involving 122 non-demented patients in intensive care, massage aromatherapy using lavender oil was well received, the greatest improvements being in mood and reduction in anxiety.”
[2]A scientific study (Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2005 Apr;35(2):303-12) evaluated “the effects of lavender aromatherapy on cognitive function, emotion, and aggressive behavior of elderly with Alzheimer's.” “What is remarkable is that all treatments resulted in significant benefit, including (in most instances) reductions in agitation, sleeplessness, wandering and unsociable behaviour.”

CONCLUSION:
While no increase in cognition was shown, “a Lavender aromatherapy hand
massage program is effective on emotions and aggressive behavior of elderly with
dementia of the Alzheimer's type.”

3) COMBINED ESSENTIAL OILS
In a small 2009 study, “Aromatherapy consisted of the use of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening.” “All patients showed significant improvement in personal orientation related to cognitive function,” and “especially in AD patients.” (Shown by the GBSS-J (Gottfries, Brane, Steen scale, Japanese version), and TDAS (Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale) after therapy).

CONCLUSION:
“we found aromatherapy an efficacious non-pharmacological therapy for
dementia. Aromatherapy may have some potential for improving cognitive function,
especially in AD patients.”
4)Rosemary and Lavender Essential Oils can be inhaled or used in massage.
Available at health food stores and online.
For more information visit www.theopentose.com

1) https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=306&pageNumber=2
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377818 2009 Dec;9(4):173-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1479- 8301.2009.00299.x. Henry J, Rusius CW, Davies M, et al. Lavender for night sedation of people with dementia. Int. J. Aromather. 1994; 6:2, 28-30.
[2] Dunn C, Sleep J and Collett D. Sensing an improvement: an experimental study to evaluate the use of aromatherapy, massage & periods of rest in an intensive care unit. Adv. Nurs. 1995; 21: 34-40.
2) http://roberttisserand.com/2013/04/new-rosemary- memory-research/
3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15860944
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377818