Lavender Ingestibles For Anxiety And Depression?

3 min

The calming scent of lavender is well known to be relaxing, soothing, and effective for de-stressing after long days. Soaps, bath oils, and moisturizers made with lavender are helpful for wound-up babies and toddlers (and their stressed parents) and for anyone who simply needs to dial it back a bit. But the usefulness of lavender, which is distilled from the plant Lavandula angustifolia, extends beyond everyday de-stressing.

Lavender has a sedative effect, and lavender aromatherapy has been shown to improve sleep quality. Used topically or on a pillow, lavender can help you stay asleep as well as fall asleep. The scent has also been shown to relieve anxiety, and when ingested, lavender oil capsules has anti-anxiety properties.

There have been hundreds of clinical trials and published papers on ingestible lavender and its effect on anxiety, showing it to be safe and effective.  For those with significant anxiety, multiple studies have demonstrated oral lavender oil capsules to be superior to both a placebo and a benzodiazepine (the class of drugs including Valium, Xanax, and Ativan) at reducing anxiety, with response rates as high as 77 percent.

A recent study looked at the most effective means of administering lavender and concluded that aromatherapy and lavender massage are superior for short-term relief of anxiety, and oral lavender is best for long-acting effects.

In addition, lavender has been shown to be effective for relieving symptoms of anxiety accompanied by depression. Given the risk of side effects associated with antidepressant drugs, many studies have investigated this potential clinical benefit. A recent meta-analysis found evidence that oral extracts of lavender have measurable anti-depressant effects, especially for those with clinically diagnosed depression.

For symptoms of anxiety or depression, take one 80mg softgel of lavender extract once or twice a day. You can also make lavender tea using an infusion of dried lavender flowers.

Lavender in its various forms is an attractive option for addressing anxiety and depression, but keep in mind there are other natural ways to help cope with these problems including meditation, aerobic exercise, dietary changes, and cognitive therapy.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Sources:
Kasper S, Gastpar M, Müller WE, Volz HP, Möller HJ, Dienel A, Schläfke S. “Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is effective in the treatment of ‘subsyndromal’ anxiety disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.” Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2010 Sep;25(5):277-87. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0b013e32833b3242. PMID: 20512042. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/20512042/

Woelk H, Schläfke S. “A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder.” Phytomedicine. 2010 Feb;17(2):94-9. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2009.10.006. Epub 2009 Dec 3. PMID: 19962288. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/19962288/

Kang HJ, Nam ES, Lee Y, Kim M. “How Strong is the Evidence for the Anxiolytic Efficacy of Lavender?: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci). 2019 Dec;13(5):295-305. doi: 10.1016/j.anr.2019.11.003. Epub 2019 Nov 16. PMID: 31743795. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/31743795/

Sayed AM, Morsy S, Tawfik GM, Naveed S, Minh-Duc NT, Hieu TH, Ali ZA, Shinkar A, Doheim MF, Hashan MR, Huy NT. “The best route of administration of lavender for anxiety: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.” Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2020 May-Jun;64:33-40. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.02.001. Epub 2020 Feb 13. PMID: 32088511. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/32088511/

Kasper S, Gastpar M, Müller WE, Volz HP, Möller HJ, Dienel A, Schläfke S. “Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is effective in the treatment of ‘subsyndromal’ anxiety disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.” Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2010 Sep;25(5):277-87. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0b013e32833b3242. PMID: 20512042. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/20512042/

Firoozeei TS, Feizi A, Rezaeizadeh H, Zargaran A, Roohafza HR, Karimi M. “The antidepressant effects of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.): A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.” Complement Ther Med. 2021 Jun;59:102679. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102679. Epub 2021 Feb 4. PMID: 33549687. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/33549687/