Common Names: lavender, English lavender, common lavender, French lavender

Latin Names: Lavandula angustifolia

Background

• Lavender is native to countries in the Mediterranean region, including France, Spain, and Italy.
• The name lavender comes from the Latin verb “lavare,” meaning “to wash.” In ancient Rome, lavender was used as a bath additive.
• Lavender is used to flavor foods and beverages and as a fragrance ingredient in soaps and cosmetics. It is promoted as a dietary supplement for anxiety, depression, digestive symptoms, and other conditions. It is also promoted for topical use (application to the skin) and use in aromatherapy.

How Much Do We Know?

• Studies have been done on the use of lavender for a variety of conditions, but there hasn’t been enough high-quality research to allow definite conclusions to be reached about its effectiveness.

What Have We Learned?

• Studies of a lavender oil product that is taken orally (by mouth) have suggested it might be beneficial for anxiety, but because of limitations of the research, including the small size of the studies, no definite conclusions can be reached about its effectiveness.
• It’s uncertain whether lavender oil used as aromatherapy is helpful for anxiety or other conditions.

What Do We Know About Safety?

• Consumption of lavender in the amounts typically used in foods is likely to be safe. Short-term oral use in the amounts tested in studies of lavender for anxiety or other conditions may also be safe.
• The topical use of products containing lavender may cause allergic skin reactions in some people.
• A few cases of swelling of breast tissue have been reported in children who used topical products containing lavender. However, it’s unclear whether the lavender was responsible for the breast swelling, a condition that can have many causes.
• Little is known about whether it’s safe to use lavender during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Keep in Mind

• Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

Many studies have investigated lavender’s effectiveness for a number of conditions, such as pain, anxiety, stress, and overall well-being, but several were small and of poor quality.

• There is little scientific evidence of lavender’s effectiveness for most health uses.
• Studies on lavender for anxiety have shown mixed results.
• Results of a 1998 study suggested that massaging the scalp with a combination of lavender oil and oils from other herbs may help with hair loss from a condition called alopecia areata.

• Topical use of diluted lavender oil is generally considered safe for most adults, but reports suggest it can cause skin irritation.
• There’s not enough evidence to determine its safety when inhaled as aromatherapy.
• Some evidence suggests that some topical applications containing lavender oil may affect sex hormone activity.
• Lavender oil may be poisonous if taken by mouth.
• Lavender extracts may cause stomach upset, joint pain, or headache.

Keep in Mind

• Tell all your health care providers about any complementary or integrative health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Although some studies of lavender preparations for anxiety have shown some therapeutic effects, in general, many of these studies have been of poor methodological quality.

What Does the Research Show?

• A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of a qualitative synthesis of data including 65 randomized controlled trials (7,993 participants) and 25 non-randomized studies (1,200 participants), and a quantitative synthesis of data involving 37 randomized controlled trials (3,964 participants) found that overall, oral administration of lavender essential oil was effective for anxiety, whereas for inhalation there was only an indication of an effect of reasonable size, due to the heterogeneity of available studies. Lavender essential oil administered through massage appeared to be effective, but available studies were not sufficient to determine whether the benefit was due to a specific effect of lavender.
• A 2018 randomized controlled trial examined the effects of lavender oil aromatherapy on anxiety and sleep quality in 70 patients undergoing chemotherapy and found a significant improvement in anxiety in the lavender group.
• A 2017 meta-analysis of five studies involving 1,165 participants with anxiety diagnoses found Silexan (lavender oil) to be significantly superior to placebo in ameliorating anxiety symptoms independently of diagnosis. The study also found a tendency for greater clinical effect when analyzing separately generalized anxiety disorder patients in comparison with all other diagnosis.

Safety

• When lavender teas and extracts are taken by mouth, they may cause headache, changes in appetite, and constipation.
• Using lavender supplements with sedative medications may increase drowsiness.