Clinical Pharmacology of and for the Treatment of Anxiety.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to analyze preclinical and clinical studies investigating the anxiety effects of or essential oils (EOs).

DESIGN

The bibliographic research was made on the major scientific databases. Analysis included only articles written in English and published on peer-reviewed scientific journals describing preclinical experiments and clinical trials carried out to investigate the antianxiety effects of EOs on anxiety disorders. Clinical studies reporting the antianxiety effects of products containing or EOs in combination with other active substances, including medicinal plants, were excluded. Nine clinical studies fulfilled the criteria adopted for analysis.

RESULTS

Data show that or EOs produce anxiolytic effects both in preclinical experiments and in different clinical conditions. EO aromatherapy reduced anxiety level in the great part of stress conditions studied (subjects affected by chronic myeloid leukemia and preoperative patients) except for a sample of patients subjected to colonoscopy. Exposition to EO in clinical studies shows to be positive in reducing anxiety level in patients waiting for dental treatment as well as in healthy volunteers submitted to an anxiogenic situation.

CONCLUSIONS

Overview of clinical trials conducted with or on people with anxiety showed that inhalation or oral administration of and inhalation of can exert beneficial effects on anxiety; however, because of incomplete accuracy in the reporting of methodology, further more complete clinical studies are warranted.