Feeling Anxious? How About a Whiff of Neroli to Calm Your Nerves?

One of the most distressing menopause symptoms that women report is anxiety (you can check the forum if you want the gory details). A study comparing neroli aromatherapy and Xanax to a no-treatment control group showed that both the aromatherapy group and the Xanax group showed significantly less anxiety than the controls. Unfortunately the test subjects were not menopausal women but gerbils, so how far the results can be applied to your own symptoms is still up in the air. Let’s hope they repeat the experiment – well maybe not that forced swimming task – with menopausal women.

Neroli oil is made from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, and is used in many perfumes. It is available as an essential oil and 3 or 4 drops can be mixed with a cup of sweet almond or wheat germ oil to make an aromatherapy treatment. (The mixture should be diluted by half for a child or pregnant woman.) Or, as recommended by Cathy Wong, the About.com guide to alternative medicine, you can make a room spray by mixing neroli and lavender and spritzing it in the air. Not a bad idea for your cubicle at work, either.

The great thing about this research is that it is happening at all. Collecting evidence on the natural coping supports available to us makes it possible to manage symptoms without prescription medications or hormones. What harm in trying something as lovely and sensual as aromatherapy? Heck, it’s even recommended for canine types, so put your feet up, invite the pup, and take a deep, deep breath.