Positive Health Online

Pharmaceutical Quality Lavender Oil Significantly Improves Anxiety Induced Insomnia

by Kalms       

Pharmaceutical quality lavender oil has a significant anxiolytic (anxiety relieving) effect and improves insomnia when taken orally as a daily capsule, new data shows.[1]

Disturbed sleep is a prevalent symptom in anxiety disorders and a key diagnosis criterion for subthreshold and generalised anxiety disorders (GAD). [2]. It is estimated that more than two thirds of patients with GAD suffer from insomnia,[3] with even higher rates amongst the elderly, causing a detrimental effect on patients’ daily living skills and quality of life.[4]  In 80% of patients with diagnosed anxiety disorders, symptoms of insomnia appear simultaneously with anxiety symptoms[5] highlighting the importance of targeting insomnia in the treatment of anxiety.   

Pharmacological anxiety treatments such as benzodiazepines carry a sedating effect. Although some patients may see a short-term improvement in sleep, common side effects of benzodiazepine use include daytime drowsiness and rebound insomnia[6] – further intensifying sleep disturbances. Benzodiazepines can also cause a physical dependence and withdrawal reaction when taken for longer than the recommended 4 weeks[7], a common withdrawal symptom is insomnia[8] making it hard for patients to break the anxiety-insomnia cycle.

A recent mediation analysis by researchers from the Universities of Zurich and Basel published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, found that 98.4% of patients saw an improvement in anxiety related sleep disturbances when taking a daily capsule of pharmaceutical quality lavender oil vs placebo.[9] The results indicate that pharmaceutical quality lavender oil exerts a secondary sleep improving effect almost exclusively through its anxiety relieving action rather than by sedation.[10].

Pharmaceutical quality lavender oil capsules are shown to decrease excessive neurotransmitter activity, reducing overstimulation and hyperactivity of the nervous response - improving symptoms of mild anxiety. More than 15 clinical trials show that a daily lavender oil capsule can be as effective as commonly used anti-anxiety medication, including the benzodiazepine lorazepam prescribed in GAD [11, 12] without the risk of sedation, dependency or withdrawal.

Professor of Psychiatry, Professor Hans-Peter Volz comments;

"This is a positive development for anxiety. Research demonstrates that the lavender oil capsules reduce both physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety (including sleep disturbances), without issues such as sedation, addiction or withdrawal. Lavender oil capsules provide a promising alternative treatment option to prescription drugs for subthreshold anxiety sufferers."

The anxiety-relieving effects of uniquely prepared, pharmaceutical quality lavender oil demonstrated in Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules.

Nicky Lidbetter, CEO of Anxiety UK states;

"Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions in the UK - one in five people report feeling anxious a lot or all of the time; and more than 45 million working days have been lost due to anxiety (combined with depression and stress) in the past three years. We welcome a range of treatment and support options, including the Kalms Lavender One-a-Day capsule and other non-prescription options such as talking therapies."

PET Scan Imagery

Positron Emission Topography (PET) scans of participants’ brains also suggest that compared to placebo, the unique lavender oil significantly reduces the binding potential of the neurotransmitter Serotonin 1A (5T1A) in the regions of the brain that are involved in the regulation of anxiety.[13]

The anxiety-relieving effects of uniquely prepared, pharmaceutical quality lavender oil demonstrated in Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules.

References

1. Seifritz, E, Schläfke, S, Holsboer-Trachsler, E, Beneficial effects of Silexan on sleep are mediated by its anxiolytic effect, Journal of Psychiatric Research, August 2019
2. American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
3. Belanger et al., 2004; Holsboer-Trachsler and Prieto, 2013; Taylor et al., 2005 .
4. Hamilton et al., 2007; LeBlanc et al., 2007; Wittchen et al., 2002
5. Ohayon and Roth, 2003
6. Harvard Medical School – Benzodiazepines and the alternatives March 2019 https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/benzodiazepines_and_the_alternatives
7. NICE Hypnotics Guidelines 2018
8. Harvard Medical School – Benzodiazepines and the alternatives March 2019 https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/benzodiazepines_and_the_alternatives
9. Seifritz, E, Schläfke, S, Holsboer-Trachsler, E, Beneficial effects of Silexan on sleep are mediated by its anxiolytic effect, Journal of Psychiatric Research, August 2019
10. Seifritz, E, Schläfke, S, Holsboer-Trachsler, E, Beneficial effects of Silexan on sleep are mediated by its anxiolytic effect, Journal of Psychiatric Research, August 2019
11. Kasper et al, Lavender oil preparation Silexan is effective in generalized anxiety disorder – a randomized, double-blind comparison to placebo and paroxetine. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
12. H. Woelk a, S. Schläfke. A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder.  Phytomedicine 17 (2010) 94–99 doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2009.10.006
13. Baldinger P, Höflich AS, Mitterhauser M, Hahn A, Rami-Mark C, Spies M, Wadsak W, Lanzenberger R, Kasper S., Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2014

Further Information

Kalms Lavender One-A-Day Capsules is a traditional herbal medicinal product used for the temporary relief of the symptoms of mild anxiety such as stress and nervousness, exclusively based on long standing use as a traditional herbal remedy. Always read the label.

RRP £7.16, available from supermarkets and chemists nationwide. Online at Amazon.co.uk and www.kalmsrange.co.uk

Acknowledgement Citation

This information has been published elsewhere.