According to a study by Japanese scientists, sniffing lavender or rosemary oil for just five minutes a day can reduce levels of a harmful stress hormone called cortisol.

It is known to cause oxidative stress, a destructive process that damages healthy cells. In the latest study, researchers at Meikal University, Japan, recruited 22 healthy volunteers and took saliva samples to test for a range of substances including cortisol.

Each one had to spend five minutes inhaling lavender or rosemary oil before the tests were repeated. The results in the Journal of Psychiatry Research showed a sharp drop in cortisol levels after sniffing the oil.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 12:53 pm and is filed under Alternative therapies, In the News, Stress, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.