September 27, 2025
Aromatherapy is one of the traditional remedies that uses essential oils extracted from plants based on their scent effects and is currently used in many fields. Aromatherapy is based on the theory that inhaling or absorbing essential oils causes changes within the limbic system, the part of the brain associated with memory and emotion, Aromatherapy stimulates physiological responses in the nervous, endocrine, or immune systems and can affect heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, brain wave activity, and the release of various hormones throughout the body.
Research into the health benefits of scents is on the rise. However, little is known about the effects of continuous inhalation, such as wearing scents on clothing, on brain structure. Therefore a clinical study consisting of 50 women aged 41 to 69 evaluated the effects of continuous rose essential oil inhalation on the brain. Participants wore a patch containing one to three drops of a 0.5% dilution of rose essential oil or water daily on their clothes for one month. Brain effects were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Remarkably, continuous inhalation of rose essential oil increased gray matter volume in the whole brain and posterior cingulate cortex, which suggests inhaling rose oil could shield against brain atrophy and cognitive decline.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S0361923024000297