Original Title: Eficacia y seguridad de la aromaterapia

Authors' objectives: This report aims to identify, critically evaluate, and synthesize the available scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of aromatherapy for the prevention and/or management of any clinical indication or health condition. The scope of the report is limited to the therapeutic use of aromatherapy, so it does not address the use of essential oils in non-health-related areas such as cosmetics or food safety. This report is intended for the general public, healthcare users, as well as healthcare professionals and managers.

Authors' results and conclusions: RESULTS: 74 systematic reviews were included, covering a wide variety of diseases and health conditions. The most evaluated essential oil was lavender, and the most studied outcomes were anxiety and pain. The results of the included studies show that aromatherapy improves heart rate in people with hypertension, coronary heart disease, acute coronary syndrome or heart failure (high quality of evidence). It also probably reduces anxiety and breathing rate in cardiovascular disease and improves pain in dysmenorrhea (moderate quality of evidence). Aromatherapy may improve systolic blood pressure in people with cardiovascular disease, reduce the need for anti-emetics after surgical procedures, improve acute pain and reduce subjective stress (low quality of evidence). The evidence is uncertain about the effect of aromatherapy in improving anxiety, pain or quality of life in people with cancer, anxiety and pain after caesarean section or anxiety before dental procedures (very low quality of evidence). CONCLUSIONS: No definitive conclusion could be reached due to the low methodological quality of many of the studies included in the identified systematic reviews. Aromatherapy can be a valuable complementary resource for managing physical and psychological symptoms in cardiovascular diseases and dysmenorrhea. Essential oils are natural, but not necessarily harmless, and some mild adverse events associated with its use have been identified.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2022

URL for published report: https://sescs.es/eficacia-seguridad-aromaterapia/

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Full HTA

Country: Spain

Organisation Name: Canary Health Service

Contact Address: Dirección del Servicio. Servicio Canario de la Salud, Camino Candelaria 44, 1ª planta, 38109 El Rosario, Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Contact Name: sescs@sescs.es

Contact Email: sescs@sescs.es