Aromatherapy Eases Labour Pain

In a recent edition of The Natural Path, we reported that lemon aromatherapy significantly relieved the nausea of pregnancy (Iran Red Crescent Med J 2014;16e:14360). Well, it turns out that aromatherapy is not only good for the nausea of pregnancy but for the pain of delivery. . . .

113 pregnant women were given either aromatherapy with bitter orange (Citrus auranteum) essetial oil, known as neroli, or a placebo made of just salt water. The women who received aromatherapy with neroli experienced significant pain reduction during labour. Neroli aromatherapy worked so well that 88.1% of the women said they were satisfied with neroli aromatherapy as a treatment. 92.1% said they would use that treatment again.

Because the treatment is nonaggressive, inexpensive, easy to use, safe and effective, the authors of the study recommended neroli aromatherapy for labout pain.

Iran J Pharm Res 2014;13:1011-8