Supplement
Rose essential oil is a fragrant oil steam-distilled from rose petals, and its aroma is thought to act on smell pathways linked to mood and stress. People mostly look at it for the anxiety and pain of kidney stone colic, though the evidence is limited, and small studies of its scent found blood pressure improved, breathing slowed and cortisol went down. Those studies enrolled 20 to 40 people, so they say little about colic.
Sources: PMID 19370942; PMID 22167272
- Updated
- How we grade
- 4 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade C
- Conditions studied
- 4
- Outcomes
- 7
- Graded outcomes
- 0040
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
General Cardiovascular Health
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Pressure Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 1 study | 40 people | ||
Studies that measured blood pressure | ||||||
| Breathing Rate Small Decrease | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 40 people | |||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortisol Small Decrease | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 1 study | 20 people | ||
Studies that measured cortisol | ||||||
| Stress Signs and Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 20 people | ||||
Mood Improvement
- Breathing Rate: improves
- CNS activity: changes; see studies
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breathing Rate Small Decrease | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 40 people | |||
| CNS activity | Changes; see studies | 40 people |
Renal Colic
- Pain: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 80 people | |||
Studies that measured pain | ||||||
Key findings
- Blood PressureImproves (the measure goes down)
- CortisolImproves (the measure goes down)
- Breathing RateImproves (the measure goes down)
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Third-party tested Rose Essential Oil products. The evidence above is limited, so read it before you buy.
- Grade C
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Studies cited
4 studies from PubMed
- The effects of Rosa damascene aromatherapy on mood and sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Effect of "rose essential oil" inhalation on stress-induced skin-barrier disruption in rats and humans
- Relaxing effect of rose oil on humans
- Investigating the Effect of Aromatherapy in Patients With Renal Colic