Clinical Aromatherapy: a systematic review

Abstract

Aromatherapy is an integrative therapy that uses the essential oils to treat physical and emotional symptoms. The oils belong to a class of substances produced by plants that have high chemical complexity and pharmacological action. Purpose of the review is to encourage the development of clinical studies in the area of aromatherapy and contribute to the expansion of these techniques in the complementary health system. A bibliographic review was used to identify the researches and only clinical researches related to the therapeutic use of essential oils were considered. The most used intervention was inhalation, followed by massage, inhalation / massage, topical application and baths. Most of the studies presented statistically signifcant data. The review shows the potential for using these techniques, as well as the potential for further studies in the feld of aromatherapy.