Lavender and Reduced Anxiety

Research synthesisModerate evidenceModerate effect9 studies · 8 beneficial · 1 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 9 studies, 8 reported beneficial effects of lavender on anxiety, with effect sizes ranging from small to large, predominantly moderate. The most studied form was aromatherapy via inhalation, and effects were typically observed over a median duration of 28 days. Key populations included clinical groups such as adults with hypertension, breast cancer survivors, and ICD patients.

Effective dose range: inhalation (daily sessions of 2–15 minutes); oral dose of 500 mg/day (lavender flower powder capsule) reported in one study
Studied populations: hypertensive adults, breast cancer survivors undergoing chemotherapy, ICD patients, postmenopausal women, children with dental anxiety, pregnant women

Caveats: Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed).

Generated Jul 9, 2026

Doses used in studies

mg/day: 500 (median 500, IQR 500–500) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 4 weeks · IQR 3.3 weeks–5 weeks · Range 7 days–8 weeks — Reported in 4 of 9 studies

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReported
Sleep aids based on plant extracts are generally safe and well tolerated by the population.
from: Plant Extracts for Sleep Disturbances: A Systematic Review.
Overall tolerabilityReported
Overall, 45% of studies reported positive findings with fewer adverse effects compared with conventional medications.
from: Herbal medicine for depression and anxiety: A systematic review with assessment of potenti
Overall tolerabilityReported
All studies reported significant (at least p < 0.05) improvement in the respective conditions and no adverse effects.
from: Efficacy of Lavender Essential Oil in Reducing Stress, Insomnia, and Anxiety in Pregnant W

9 of 9 papersPopulation:

Short- and long-term effects of inhaled lavender essential oil on anxiety, fatigue, blood pressure, and sleep quality in middle-aged adults with hypertension: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.
- 2025-12
- RCT · n = 30
- Complementary therapies in medicine 95
- - Yi-Ren Wang
  - Ying-Chih Ho
  - Yueh-Chiao Yeh
- PubMed: 41177368
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103296
5 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Clinical
immediately post-intervention, the aroma group showed significantly greater reductions in anxiety (STAI: -15.7 vs. -0.9, p < .001) ... After seven days, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements across all measures: STAI (-15.6 vs. -0.6, p < .001)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Dose
15-minute inhalation session (daily for 7 days)
Effect of aromatherapy massage with lavender essential oil on sleep quality, pain, and mental and psychiatric disorders among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a randomized controlled trial.
- 2025-07-14
- RCT · n = 96
- Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 33(8)
- - Fengxian Zhang
  - Lin Cheng
  - Sifan Qin
  - Liwei Wang
  - Yun Liu
  - Yuxiu Liu
  - Jinhong Yang
  - Shirong Fang
  - Na An
  - Yufeng Zhang
  - Jiang Liu
- PubMed: 40653563
- DOI: 10.1007/s00520-025-09741-x
5 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Clinical
anxiety scores (20.26 ± 6.73 vs 24.10 ± 6.46, P = 0.005)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
The effect of lavender essential oil aromatherapy on anxiety and fatigue in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator: randomized controlled trial.
- 2025-09
- RCT · n = 43
- Explore (New York, N.Y.) 21(5)
- - Sebiha Aktaş Us
  - Sultan Taşcı
  - Abdullah Orhan Demirtaş
- PubMed: 40795547
- DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2025.103233
4 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Clinical
at follow-up at weeks 2, 3, and 4, the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in anxiety and fatigue scores... (p<0.05)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Dose
inhalation for two minutes every night before bedtime
Herbal medicine for depression and anxiety: A systematic review with assessment of potential psycho-oncologic relevance.
- 2018-02-21
- Systematic Review
- Phytotherapy research : PTR 32(5)
- - K Simon Yeung
  - Marisol Hernandez
  - Jun J Mao
  - Ingrid Haviland
  - Jyothirmai Gubili
- PubMed: 29464801
- DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6033
2 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
Based on available data, black cohosh, chamomile, chasteberry, lavender, passionflower, and saffron appear useful in mitigating anxiety or depression with favorable risk-benefit profiles compared to standard treatments.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Comparison of the effect of lavender and bitter orange on anxiety in postmenopausal women: A triple-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
- 2018-02-20
- RCT · n = 52
- Complementary therapies in clinical practice 31
- - Azizeh Farshbaf-Khalili
  - Mahin Kamalifard
  - Mahsa Namadian
- PubMed: 29705445
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.02.004
2 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Elderly
Lavender significantly reduced the mean state-anxiety scores compared with the control group as well [aMD: -2.45 (95% CI -4.13 to -0.77)].
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Dose
500 mg/day (capsule containing lavender flower powder)
Ylang-ylang and lavender aromatherapy for paediatric dental anxiety: A randomized control trial in first restorative appointment.
- 2025-10-31
- RCT
- Bioinformation 21(10)
- - Amol N Patil
  - Sneha N Kamble
  - Pranali Shelke
  - Priya Telang
  - Aishwarya Shelar
  - Mrunalini Kadam
- PubMed: 41623781
- DOI: 10.6026/973206300213686
2 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
Both aromatherapy groups showed a significant reduction in anxiety compared to the placebo
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Efficacy of Lavender Essential Oil in Reducing Stress, Insomnia, and Anxiety in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review.
- 2024-12-05
- Review · n = 413
- Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) 12(23)
- - Eulàlia Vidal-García
  - Maria Vallhonrat-Bueno
  - Fabià Pla-Consuegra
  - Alícia Orta-Ramírez
- PubMed: 39685078
- DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12232456
3 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Pregnant Women
All studies reported significant (at least p < 0.05) improvement in the respective conditions ... one measured anxiety, two measured both anxiety and stress.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Medicinal Plants Used for Anxiety, Depression, or Stress Treatment: An Update.
- 2022-09-15
- Review
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 27(18)
- - Maša Kenda
  - Nina Kočevar Glavač
  - Milan Nagy
  - Marija Sollner Dolenc
- PubMed: 36144755
- DOI: 10.3390/molecules27186021
3 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- Low evidence
currently available data do not fully support the use of peppermint for anxiety disorders and depression
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Plant Extracts for Sleep Disturbances: A Systematic Review.
- 2020-01
- Review
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM 2020(1)
- - S Guadagna
  - D F Barattini
  - S Rosu
  - L Ferini-Strambi
- PubMed: 32382286
- DOI: 10.1155/2020/3792390
3 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- Low evidence
- Mixed
their use has been associated (with conflicting results) with anxiolytic effects and improvements in quality and duration of sleep.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes