I have a love hate relationship with MLM oils companies that really do not back up there claims. I however do have a good relationship with Companies that can back them up. I have used Essential Oils during massage the reflexology. They are very powerful and must be used with caution. At SOHMAR we have a guest Teacher that is passionate about essential oils. She teaches classes ranging from intro to very extensive.

Here is a recent Study that shows that Essential oils can help with Blood pressure and other ailments (it is long, yet informative)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aroma foot massage on blood pressure, anxiety, and health-related quality of life (QOL) in Japanese community-dwelling men and women using a crossover randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Fifty-seven eligible participants (5 men and 52 women) aged 27 to 72 were randomly divided into 2 intervention groups (group A: n = 29; group B: n = 28) to participate in aroma foot massages 12 times during the 4-week intervention period. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively), heart rate, state anxiety, and health-related QOL were measured at the baseline, 4-week follow-up, and 8-week follow-up. The effects of the aroma foot massage intervention on these factors and the proportion of participants with anxiety were analyzed using a linear mixed-effect model for a crossover design adjusted for participant and period effects. Furthermore, the relationship between the changes in SBP and state anxiety among participants with relieved anxiety was assessed using a linear regression model.

Results: Aroma foot massage significantly decreased the and state anxiety as well as the proportion of participants with anxiety. Although it was not statistically significant, aroma foot massage also increased the score of mental health-related QOL. The change in SBP had a significant and positive correlation with the change in state anxiety among participants with relieved anxiety.

Conclusion: The self-administered aroma foot massage intervention significantly decreased the mean SBP and DBP as well as the state anxiety score, and tended to increase the mental health-related QOL scores. The results suggest that aroma foot massage may be an easy and effective way to improve mental health and blood pressure.

Although aromatherapy is often referred to as complementary and integrative medicine, it is one of the many ways to relieve mental stress. Aroma essential oils are generally inhaled or massaged into the skin, and the oil vaporizes and stimulates the olfactory system. Consequently, according to a Cochrane review, essential oils have many effects including calming and de-stressing effects as well as promoting relaxation and sleep. For example, a previous study reported that inhalation of ylang-ylang, a frequently used aroma oil, decreased blood pressure (BP) in healthy men who participated in a randomized controlled trial. Similarly, an RCT crossover study conducted with 36 female high school students showed that, the stress levels in the intervention group decreased significantly compared to the placebo group after inhalation of aroma essential oils.

Furthermore, studies have shown that ambient odors of lavender and orange decreased anxiety and lightened mood in a dental office, and massages with aroma oils promoted skin absorption of the oils stimulating blood and lymphatic circulation, improving the oxygen and nutrient supply, relaxing muscle tone, and relieving emotional stress. One study found that receiving an aroma body massage once a week for 4 weeks and applying aroma cream on the arms, legs, and abdomen daily reduced BP among participants. Similarly, an open, semi-comparative trial with 12 breast cancer patients showed that anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), was significantly reduced after a 30-minute aroma body massage by skilled therapists. Moreover, aroma massages twice a week for 4 weeks improved prefrontal cortex dysfunction and mild depression in 5 patients with depression. These findings indicated that aroma massage is associated with a more relaxed mental condition as well as decreased BP and anxiety.

In light of these findings, the number of studies that have assessed the effect of aromatherapy on BP and anxiety in healthy volunteers using RCT methods is limited although there are many studies concerning the efficacy of aromatherapy. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of self-administered aroma foot massages on BP and anxiety in Japanese community-dwelling men and women using a crossover RCT design.

Furthermore, to stimulate the olfactory system, we included lavender, ylang-ylang, marjoram, sandalwood, and chamomile in the aroma oil blend. Lavender relaxes the autonomic nervous system, calms and relaxes the level of emotion, and alleviates insomnia, while ylang-ylang decreases BP and HR, and reduces depression and stress. Accordingly, reductions in BP and anxiety levels after our intervention might be because of lavender and ylang-ylang. In addition, the effects of linalyl acetate and linalool, which are major components of lavender and ylang-ylang essential oils, have been reported to affect the autonomic nervous system. Thus, the combination of various oils may have influenced relaxation, and improved BP and anxiety levels in this study. Furthermore, the combination of aromatherapy with massage therapy might improve BP and mental health through promoted absorption of the aroma oil by the skin and enhanced the calming and de-stressing effects through stimulation of the olfactory system.

The authors would like to thank Mr. Mitsunobu Goto, chief executive officer of the fitness club, Sora to Mori REN, and other staff for their continuous support. For providing valuable advice and cooperation throughout this study, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Hiroyasu Iso, Professor of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine; Dr. Isao Saito, Professor of Community Health Systems Nursing, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine; Dr. Koutatsu Maruyama, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine; Dr. Masayuki Kubo and Dr. Kenjiro Nagaoka, Asistant Professors of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Hiromi Mori, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine; Dr. Kana Higuchi, Department of Basic Nursing and Health Science, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine; and to the following students of Ehime University who participated in this study; Kaori Akiyama, Ayano Otaki, Haruki Ohtsubo, Hikaru Okabe, Kyosuke Habu, Kanako Fukuoka, Yuki Yokomoto, Hitomi Aono, Maho Akimoto, Natsumi Arai, Ayumi Ito, Riko Katsube, Yukako Honbo, Akiko Yano, Tomoko Yoshihara, Yu Inoue, Tsuyoshi Ohno, Shiro Ogawa, Yuichiro Shimada, Soichiro Nishihara, Genta Fukumoto, Syouta Miyoshi, Marika Matsuoka and Shota Kikuchi.