Scents Really Can Soothe Stress

July 23, 2009

Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender, or

other fragrant plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific

evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood

chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels. Their study appears in ACS'

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the new study, Akio Nakamura and colleagues note that people have inhaled the

scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight

inflammation and depression, and induce sleep. Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant

plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative

medicine today. And linalool is one of the most widely used substances to soothe

away emotional stress. Until now, however, linalool's exact effects on the body

have been a deep mystery.

The scientists exposed lab rats to stressful conditions while inhaling and not

inhaling linalool. Linalool returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and

lymphocytes - key parts of the immune system - to near-normal levels. Inhaling

linalool also reduced the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive

in stressful situations. The findings could form the basis of new blood tests

for identifying fragrances that can soothe stress, the researchers say.

Article: " Stress Repression in Restrained Rats by ®-(-)-Linalool Inhalation

and Gene Expression Profiling of Their Whole Blood Cells "

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