Can Lavender Essential Oil Help With Diabetes?
Diabetes affects the body's ability to process sugar, which can result in a number of other health conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects around 37 million Americans each year. 90% to 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. While Mayo Clinic says the exact causes of diabetes are unknown, there is strong evidence linking excess visceral fat to the disease. Diabetes.co.uk explains that visceral fat builds up around the organs in the gut area and secretes the protein 4 (RBP4), which can increase insulin resistance. This can trigger glucose intolerance, which causes blood sugar levels to spike.
Lowering stress levels and consistently getting enough good quality sleep can also help reduce visceral fat. These practices can also help reduce the symptoms and risks associated with diabetes. Healthline suggests lavender essential oil may help relieve stress and promote sleep. But can lavender essential oil help with diabetes and other related health conditions?
Benefits of lavender essential oil
The American Diabetes Association explains that western medicine has long valued essential oils for their medicinal properties, beginning with Hippocrates, who treated skin conditions with aromatherapy. Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils, prized for its ability to address numerous health conditions (via Ben's Natural Health). Lavender essential oil can help with wound healing, anxiety, sleep, fungal infections, and even hair loss (per Medical News Today). But it can also help reduce stress, blood pressure, and cortisol levels.
A 2022 study found that inhaling lavender essential oil at night significantly improved anxiety, stress, and depression levels over 30 days. And a 2006 study showed significant improvement in blood pressure, pulse, stress, anxiety, and serum cortisol levels after subjects inhaled a mixture of lavender, bergamot, and ylang-ylang essential oils daily for 4 weeks. So, how can lavender essential oil help with diabetes?
In 2013, a research study in Lipids in Health and Disease showed that lavender essential oil reduced hyperglycemia and oxidative stress in diabetic rats. Researchers believe these positive results are due to lavender oil's antioxidant properties.
Controlling blood sugar levels is extremely important for diabetics, and Mayo Clinic warns that poorly managed or untreated hyperglycemia can lead to severe symptoms, including damage to vital organs. If lavender essential oil can help balance blood sugar levels even a little, it may be worth using.
How lavender essential oil can help with diabetes
High blood pressure is common among people with diabetes. The aforementioned 2006 study indicates that lavender essential oil could help diabetic patients with high blood pressure. And lavender's ability to lower stress levels and promote better sleep means less cortisol coursing through the body, which can mean improved mood and less harmful visceral fat (per Diabetes Self-Management).
As a bonus, WebMD assures using lavender essential oil is safe to use — with no sedation, dependence, tolerance, or withdrawal symptoms. Healthline advises the most effective way to reduce stress and anxiety with lavender essential oil is to take it orally in capsules. 80 milligrams a day of lavender seems to provide the most benefits, but as little as 20 milligrams can still be effective.
Look for lavender essential oil capsules online or at your local health food store. However, make sure they contain pure, natural essential oil with no synthetic or added substances. If you don't want to take lavender essential oil orally, you can use a diffuser to inhale it as you go about your daily activities or at bedtime. Make sure you leave the diffuser on for 10 minutes or more to see benefits.