Turns Out This Essential Oil Lowers Blood Pressure Naturally. Here’s How Scientists Say to Use It.

Essential oils aren’t just an easy way to fragrance a room, they’re also good for your heart — literally.

A recent study published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that aromatherapy with lavender essential oil could be an effective complementary therapy for hypertension, aka high blood pressure, at least to some extent.

For the study, 58 participants wore face masks — the medical kind, not the spa kind — with magnetic clips infused with 0.1 milliliters of essential oils.

All participants underwent an initial 15-minute inhalation session wearing the mask, followed by one 15-minute session per day for seven consecutive days. Some participants used lavender essential oil, and others in the placebo group used a nearly odorless sweet almond oil.

Researchers found that after the seven-day period, hypertensive adults who used the lavender-infused clip had lower systolic pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) and diastolic pressure (the second number).

For reference, here are the American Heart Association’s definitions of both normal and elevated blood pressure:

• Normal blood pressure: Less than 120/80 mm Hg
• Elevated blood pressure: 120-129 systolic and less than 80 diastolic

On average, systolic blood pressure was reduced by 9.9 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure was reduced by 6.9 mm Hg. That’s a notable difference compared with those in the placebo group, whose systolic and diastolic blood pressure was lowered by 1.2 and 1.3, respectively.

The researchers also found that lavender oil substantially reduced anxiety, while significantly improving sleep quality and emotional well-being in hypertensive adults.

Fatigue was also reduced, but not as dramatically.

About two-thirds of the study participants were already taking medications to treat hypertension, so the essential oil treatments showed to be effective along with medication, not in lieu of it.

It’s also worth noting that because sweet almond oil is nearly odorless, the participants could have known they were in the placebo group, which could have influenced their expectations. Researchers note that the limitations of this study, including the relatively small number of participants, make this more of an exploratory or pilot study and that further research on the subject should be done.

Want to learn more about how to maintain a healthy blood pressure? Check out how your diet can help in “7 Foods That Help Keep Your Blood Pressure in Check (Including Chocolate).”