Randomised trial, 2018
Does aromatherapy with rose oil help PMS symptoms?
Yes, significantly. Rose oil aromatherapy improved psychological, physical, social, and overall PMS symptoms at 2 months.
What they did
66 university female students in Iran were randomly assigned to aromatherapy with 4 percent rose essential oil or control aromatherapy with sweet almond oil. Both groups did 5-minute sessions twice daily for 5 days during the luteal phase, with measurements over 2 months.
What they found
The rose oil group showed significant improvements in psychological symptoms (P<0.001), physical symptoms (P<0.001), social symptoms (P=0.002), and total PMS symptoms (P<0.001). The control group showed no improvements.
What it means for you
Rose oil aromatherapy may help multiple PMS symptoms. The study was well-designed with triple-blinding, but the benefit might come from the aromatherapy ritual or essential oils generally rather than rose specifically.
P<0.001
Psychological improvement
P<0.001
Physical improvement
P=0.002
Social improvement
About the study
- Original title
- Evaluation of aromatherapy with essential oils of Rosa damascena for the management of premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Heydari N, Abootalebi M, Jamalimoghadam N et al.
- Journal
- International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 66
- What was tested
- Aromatherapy with 4 percent Rosa damascena essential oil for 5 minutes twice daily during luteal phase
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.12534
Topics
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