Lavender essential oil has been used as an anxiolytic drug, a mood stabilizer, a sedative, spasmolytic, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, analgesic agent as well as a wound healing accelerator. We have studied for the first time the efficacy of lavender essential oil inhalation for the treatment of migraine in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Methods: Forty-seven patients with definite diagnosis of migraine headache were divided into cases and controls. Cases inhaled lavender essential oil for 15 min, whereas the control group used liquid paraffin for the same time period. Patients were asked to record their headache severity and associated symptoms in 30-min intervals for a total of 2 h. We matched the two groups for key confounding factors. Results: The mean reduction of headache severity in cases was 3.6 ± 2.8 based on Visual Analogue Scale score. The reduction was 1.6 ± 1.6 in controls. This difference between the controls and cases was statistically significant with p < 0.0001. From 129 headache attacks in cases, 92 responded entirely or partially to lavender. In the control group, 32 out of 68 recorded headache attacks responded to placebo. The percentage of responders was significantly higher in the lavender group than the placebo group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The present study suggests that inhalation of lavender essential oil may be an effective and safe treatment modality in acute management of migraine headaches.

Keywords:
Lavender, Migraine, Headache, Acute management
1.
Basch E, Foppa I, Liebowitz R, Nelson J, Smith M, Sollars D, et al: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Miller). J Herb Pharmacother 2004;4:63–78.
2.
Denner SS: Lavandula angustifolia Miller: English lavender. Holist Nurs Pract 2009;23:57–64.
3.
Hajhashemi V, Ghannadi A, Sharif B: Anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the leaf extracts and essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. J Ethnopharmacol 2003;89:67–71.
4.
Morris N: The effects of lavender (Lavendula angustifolium) baths on psychological well-being: two exploratory randomised control trials. Complement Ther Med 2002;10:223–228.
5.
Buchbauer G, Jirovetz L, Jager W, Dietrich H, Plank C: Aromatherapy: evidence for sedative effects of the essential oil of lavender after inhalation. Z Naturforsch C 1991;46:1067–1072.
6.
Gedney JJ, Glover TL, Fillingim RB: Sensory and affective pain discrimination after inhalation of essential oils. Psychosom Med 2004;66:599–606.
7.
Koto R, Imamura M, Watanabe C, Obayashi S, Shiraishi M, Sasaki Y, et al: Linalyl acetate as a major ingredient of lavender essential oil relaxes the rabbit vascular smooth muscle through dephosphorylation of myosin light chain. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2006;48:850–856.
8.
Inouye S, Takizawa T, Yamaguchi H: Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact. J Antimicrob Chemother 2001;47:565–573.
9.
D’Auria FD, Tecca M, Strippoli V, Salvatore G, Battinelli L, Mazzanti G: Antifungal activity of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil against Candida albicans yeast and mycelial form. Med Mycol 2005;43:391–396.
10.
Prashar A, Locke IC, Evans CS: Cytotoxicity of lavender oil and its major components to human skin cells. Cell Prolif 2004;37:221–229.
11.
Vakilian K, Atarha M, Bekhradi R, Chaman R: Healing advantages of lavender essential oil during episiotomy recovery: a clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2011;17:50–53.
12.
Brownfield A: Aromatherapy in arthritis: a study. Nurs Stand 1998;13:34–35.
13.
Podichetty VK, Varley ES, Re: Oleske DM, Lavender SA, Andersson GB, et al: Are back supports plus education more effective than education alone in promoting recovery from low back pain? Results from a randomized clinical trial. Spine 2007;32:2050–2057.
14.
Yip YB, Tse SH: An experimental study on the effectiveness of acupressure with aromatic lavender essential oil for sub-acute, non-specific neck pain in Hong Kong. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2006;12:18–26.
15.
Ravishankar K: The ‘IHS’ Classification (1988, 2004) – contributions, limitations and suggestions. J Assoc Physicians India 2010;58(suppl):7–9.
16.
Ferrari MD, Goadsby PJ, Roon KI, Lipton RB: Triptans (serotonin, 5-HT1B/1D agonists) in migraine: detailed results and methods of a meta-analysis of 53 trials. Cephalalgia 2002;22:633–658.
17.
Loder E: Triptan therapy in migraine. N Engl J Med 2010;363:63–70.
18.
Lipton RB, Bigal ME, Goadsby PJ: Double-blind clinical trials of oral triptans vs. other classes of acute migraine medication – a review. Cephalalgia 2004;24:321–332.
19.
Prior MJ, Codispoti JR, Fu M: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of acetaminophen for treatment of migraine headache. Headache 2010;50:819–833.
20.
Magis D, Schoenen J: Treatment of migraine: update on new therapies. Curr Opin Neurol 2011;24:203–210.
21.
Friedman BW, Solorzano C, Esses D, Xia S, Hochberg M, Dua N, et al: Treating headache recurrence after emergency department discharge: a randomized controlled trial of naproxen versus sumatriptan. Ann Emerg Med 2010;56:7–17.
22.
Henley DV, Lipson N, Korach KS, Bloch CA: Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender and tea tree oils. N Engl J Med 2007;356:479–485.
© 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel
2012
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.