Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec;55(4):489-504.
doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2020.06.015. Epub 2020 Sep 28.

Clinical Aromatherapy

Ashley J Farrar  1 , Francisca C Farrar  2
Affiliations
Review

Clinical Aromatherapy

Ashley J Farrar et al. Nurs Clin North Am. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Clinical aromatherapy is an alternative medicine therapy that can be beneficial in the inpatient or outpatient setting for symptom management for pain, nausea, general well-being, anxiety, depression, stress, and insomnia. It is beneficial for preoperative anxiety, oncology, palliative care, hospice, and end of life. Essential oils can be dangerous and toxic, with some being flammable, causing skin dermatitis, being phototoxic with risk of a chemical burn, or causing oral toxicity or death. The article investigates history, supporting theories, guidelines, plant sources, safety, pathophysiologic responses, and clinical nursing aromatherapy. Recommendations for developing a best practice clinical nursing aromatherapy program are provided.

Keywords: Best practice model; Clinical aromatherapy; Clinical management; History; Pathologic response; Plant sources; Safety case reports; Theoretic frameworks.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure A.J. Farrar and F.C. Farrar have no commercial or financial conflicts of interest or any funding sources.

References

    1. Pace S. Essential Oils in Hospitals: The Ethics, Safety, Cost and Application of Clinical Aromatherapy. https://www.tisserandinstitute.org/essential-oils-in-hospitals/ Available at: Accessed March 30, 2020.
    1. Swamy M.K., Akgtar M.S., Sinniah U.R. Antimicrobial properties of plant essential oils against human pathogens and their mode of action: an updated review. evidence based complementary and alternative medicine. 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5206475/ Available at: Accessed July 30, 2019. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s in a Name? NCCIH Pub NO.: D347. http://www.nccih.nih.gov Available at: Accessed April 4, 2020.
    1. Gnatta J.R., Kurebayashi L.F.S., Turrini R.N.T., et al. Aromatherapy and nursing: historical and theoretical conception. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2016;50(1):127–133. - PubMed
    1. Alliance of International Aromatherapists. AIA Journal. Aromatherapy. https://www.alliance-aromatherapists.org/history-basics Available at: Accessed March 30, 2020.