Aromatherapy can cheer, but not heal: study

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

CHICAGO (AFP) — Adding that expensive scented oil to your bath may help your mood, but it won't do much for your health, an upcoming study has found.

Health and beauty companies have made millions off the soothing scents of aromatherapy products.

But like many home remedies, there is no hard science to prove that these smells do any real good.

A group of researchers at Ohio State University decided to test the supposed stress-relieving and healing properties of two of the most popular aromatherapy scents: lavender and lemon.

"We all know that the placebo effect can have a very strong impact on a person's health but beyond that, we wanted to see if these aromatic essential oils actually improved human health in some measurable way," said lead author...