New Australian study finds essential oils can boost your mood

Essentials oils are said to have a wide range of health benefits, and now a new study has backed up those claims. New research from Victoria’s Monash University has found certain essential oils can be beneficial for your health and mood. The findings were published in the journal Neurochemistry International on Tuesday.

“Aromatherapy under particular conditions is reported to consistently enhance emotional health, including lowering anxiety and depression,” Professor Louise Bennett, the study’s lead author from the Monash University School of Chemistry, said. “However, achieving benefits requires understanding which types are best and what dose is required.

“We believe the interaction of essential oils with the naturally high levels of ascorbate (e.g. vitamin C) in the brain can produce either anti-oxidant or pro-oxidant effects. It’s the anti-oxidant, but not the pro-oxidant effects, that lead to the mood benefit.”

For example, Bennett said lavender essential oil has consistently shown a mood-improving effect, which researchers now believe is related to its strong anti-oxidant effect in the brain.

“For the first time, this work paves the way to select and classify essential oils according to their mechanistic properties and to potentially develop inexpensive but effective therapies for the brain,” Bennett said.

Bennett added that the study will help them identify which essential oils will lead to mood improvement and, alternatively, which ones will produce anti-infective properties. “We are working towards developing essential oils for a range of applications, including treating depression and anxiety, infection, inflammation and potentially even cancer,” she said.

Essential oils have been around for thousands of years, but have gained popularity in recent decades, even becoming something of a craze among Aussies eager to fill their homes with beautiful, therapeutic scents. But aside from both smelling and helping you feel great, essential oils can also be extremely useful for cleaning. In fact, most cleaning products have essential oils in them. And the best part is, essential oils are completely natural, so you won’t have to worry about fumes or toxic chemicals in your house.

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