Insights & Discussion
Certain essential oils such as lavender, neroli, jasmine, roman chamomile, clary sage, and Indian sandalwood can potentially increase oxytocin concentrations in postmenopausal women.
In this study, fifteen postmenopausal women were subjected to the effects of ten different essential oils one at a time. The oils exposed to included rose otto, sweet orange, lavender, neroli, frankincense, jasmine absolute, ylang ylang, roman chamomile, clary sage, and Indian sandalwood. Initially, they were exposed to a control for 20 minutes, followed by exposure to an essential oil for 20 minutes. Each woman was exposed to only a single kind of essential oil per day. Saliva was collected immediately before and after both control exposure and essential oil exposure. The oxytocin levels in the saliva were then measured.
The findings revealed an increase in salivary oxytocin concentrations following exposure to six out of the ten essential oils. Specifically, lavender, neroli, jasmine absolute, roman chamomile, clary sage, and Indian sandalwood were associated with a significant increase in salivary oxytocin when compared to the control odor. This study implies that olfaction stimulation with the listed essential oils might help counter the reduction of muscle mass and function caused by aging in women.
Discover Related Insights
Chamomile vaginal gel effectively improved the sexual function of postmenopausal women, and can be a potential treatment option for those unable to undergo hormone therapy.
2022 The Journal of Sexual Medicine Effect of Chamomile Vaginal Gel on the Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Women: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial Bosak Z, Iravani M, Moghimipour E, Haghighizadeh M, Jelodarian P
Randomised Controlled Trial Chamomile Female Sexual Function Postmenopausal
The structured methodology involved a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, where 96 postmenopausal women with known sexual dysfunction were divided equally into three groups. Each group respectively received chamomile vaginal gel, conjugated estrogen vaginal cream, and placebo vaginal gel, for 12 weeks. The frequency of application varied over the course of the weeks. Measurements were made using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) before and after the intervention. Data analysis implied chi-square, one-way ANOVA, descriptive statistics, and paired t-tests.
Despite the study's duration of 12 weeks, no follow-up was done past this time frame. The study also recorded experiences of side effects, with a few women reporting a burning sensation.
The results showed substantial improvement in all six sexual function domains and the total FSFI score for those women using chamomile vaginal gel when compared to the placebo. The chamomile gel showed no significant difference with the estrogen cream, except in the areas of orgasm and sexual satisfaction. This places chamomile vaginal gel as a considerable alternative for treating sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women, especially for those who have contraindications to hormone therapy.