Pimenta, F.C., Alves, M.F., Pimenta, M.B., Melo, S.A., de Almeida, A.A., Leite, J.R., . . . de Almeida, R.N. (2016). Anxiolytic effect of Citrus aurantium L. on patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Phytotherapy Research, 30, 613–617.
To evaluate anxiety levels in patients with CML undergoing bone marrow biopsy who were exposed to the odor of C.aurantium essential oil versus those who were not
C. aurantium is an essential oil of the Citrus genus. In this study, participants were exposed to the essential oil odor via electronic diffuser. The study was divided into three groups. The first group received oral diazepam (10 mg), the second group was exposed to C. aurantium, and the third group was exposed to a placebo vaporized solution. In the second and third groups, exposure was 30 minutes long.
PHASE OF CARE: Multiple phases of care
Randomized controlled trial
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used for subjective measurements. This is a self-reported anxiety scale. Physiological measurements including systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate, and respiratory rate were also assessed.
The groups that received diazepam and exposure to C. aurantium both showed significant decrease in systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). The group exposed to C. aurantium experienced significant decrease in heart rate (p < 0.001) as well as significant differences in anxiety levels as reported on the STAI-S before and after the treatment when analyzed by Wilcoxon test (p < 0.001).
Findings suggest that C. aurantium may potentiate anxiolytic effects in patients with CML undergoing bone marrow biopsy.
C. aurantium and other anxiolytic essential oils may be considered as nonpharmacologic tools for the reduction of anxiety in patients with cancer, although much more research is needed in more diverse patient populations.