The aromatherapy formulation of essential oils in reducing stress and blood pressure on human

Abstract

Unhealthy lifestyles such as low physical activity, unbalanced nutrition consumption, high workloads, and low emotional management make a person vulnerable to stress. The large-scale lockdowns to reduce COVID-19 transmission also exacerbate the stress level. Regarding organic and complementary therapeutic schemes, both increased relaxation and decreased hypertension are carried out using aromatherapy that involves essential oil formulations. This study aims to identify the characteristics and effects of aromatherapy formulations, including benzoin, nutmeg, and citronella essential oils on relaxation and human blood pressure. The study began by identifying local applications of essential oils through interviews with 20 local people who apply essential oil in their remedies. The method included initial and final measurements of blood pressure in aromatherapy application for three consecutive days. To evaluate aromatherapy profiles, forty respondents were selected purposively and asked about their expression after inhalation. The results showed that application of the aromatherapy formulation reduced systolic pressure by 8.5 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 1.2 mmHg. Most of the respondents considered that the aroma of formulated essential oils has a refreshing and calming effect on their mind. These antidepressant effects are obtained from combination of benzyl cinnamate, geraniol, linalool, myristicin, p-cymene etc in formulated essential oils. This research concluded that inhalation of essential oils formulation provided a relaxing effect and reduced hypertension, significantly.