EFFECTIVENESS OF LAVENDER AROMATHERAPY ON ANXIETY LEVEL: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction: The aim of this review was to analyse the empirical studies that focus on effectiveness of lavender aromatherapy on anxiety level. Anxiety is a fear or worry in certain situations that cause anxiety. Anxiety is a normal thing experienced by every human being but if excessive can disrupt the physical and mental function. One alternative therapy that can be use to lower the level of anxiety is a aromatherapy. The lavender aromatherapy contains linalool and linalyl acetat to give relaxant effect, sedative, and mood improvement. Method: The literature search used Google Scholar, Ebsco, and ProQuest databases (in the range of 2013-2015) was conducted using the keywords: lavender aromatherapy and inhalation and anxiety level or stress level. After the process, 6 empirical articles were included in the review, with informants ranging from preoperative and postoperative patients, older people, and schizophrenia patients. Based on the analysis, the reviewed research seems to decrease of anxiety levels were measured with DASS-21 or HRS-A’s instruments and decrease of vital signs (heart rate, SBP and DBP), but in others research which using randomized control trial method showed no significant differences in mental stress score and vital signs between the intervention group and the control group. Result: The lavender aromatherapy can reduce anxiety level by inhalation process starts from the olfactory to the central nervous system which influence the sympatic and parasympatic nerve until the resulting effect of relaxation and mood improvement. Keywords: Anxiety level, Vital Sign, Inhalation, Lavender Aromatherap