Lavender Benefits: What Science Says About Lavender Oil, Stress, Mood, and Sleep

Lavender has a centuries-old reputation.

When you read the first word in this article, what came immediately to mind?

Most likely, your mind jumped right to its scent or its color, and associated it with a sense of calm.

Lavender can be found in everything from bath products and candles, to essential-oil diffusers and bedtime routines. Maybe you’ve dismissed all of this as just pleasant-smelling folklore.

But lavender is much more than that. And even more interesting from a scientific point of view.

Researchers have identified biologically active compounds in lavender essential oil and studied how they interact with the nervous system. Even more intriguing, some of the strongest human research on lavender benefits doesn’t involve smelling lavender at all.

It involves taking lavender oil orally.

Aromatherapy and oral lavender oil expose the body to lavender’s compounds in different ways, and the evidence of benefits is different. Here’s what science tells us so far.

How Does Lavender Make You Feel Calm?

The most-studied species of lavender is Lavandula angustifolia, sometimes called French lavender. Its essential oil contains dozens of naturally occurring compounds, with linalool and linalyl acetate among the most prominent [1].

These compounds do a lot more than simply smell good.

With aromatherapy, volatile molecules enter the nose and interact with the olfactory system. Smells can have direct connections with brain regions involved in emotion, memory, and autonomic function [2]. This helps explain why an odor can instantly bring back a childhood memory, or why certain smells can make you feel relaxed, alert, or disgusted, before you have consciously thought about them.

Researchers have also proposed that inhaled essential-oil constituents may enter the circulation through the respiratory tract, potentially producing effects beyond olfactory signaling [3].

But lavender’s neurological activity appears to involve several systems rather than one simple “calming pathway.”

Preclinical research has investigated effects involving serotonin signaling, glutamate receptors, GABAergic signaling, and voltage-dependent calcium channels [4,5].

That last mechanism is particularly interesting when we look at oral lavender oil.

Lavender Aromatherapy Benefits: What Does the Research Show?

Aromatherapy is probably the most familiar way to use lavender.

And there is evidence behind it.

One meta-analysis examining lavender and anxiety included 65 randomized controlled trials and nearly 8,000 participants in its analysis. In the studies they pooled, lavender inhalation was associated with significant reductions in anxiety scores [6].

An important point to note, however, whenever discussing essential oils: aromatherapy research can be difficult to standardize.

Different studies use different lavender species, chemical compositions, concentrations, diffusers, exposure times, settings, and outcome measures. And unlike swallowing a capsule, smelling an aroma is difficult to blind completely (you generally know when you are smelling lavender).

So, while the aromatherapy data are encouraging, another form of lavender has produced particularly interesting clinical research…

Oral Lavender Oil Benefits: Where the Science Gets Interesting

Most people associate essential oils with inhalation or topical use.

However, research is now shedding light on the potential benefits of standardized oral lavender oil, derived from Lavandula angustifolia.

This research should not be generalized to homemade lavender preparations or arbitrary essential oils. Essential oils  vary considerably in composition and purity, and products intended only for aromatherapy should not be swallowed.

With that in mind, the body of evidence supporting use of certain preparations of standardized oral lavender oil is growing. For example:

1. Oral Lavender Oil May Support a Calmer Mood

One study involved 221 adults experiencing low-level worry and tension. Participants received either 80 mg per day of the standardized oral lavender oil preparation or placebo for 10 weeks.

The lavender group experienced greater improvements to mood on a quantitative scale than the placebo group. Researchers also reported benefits to sleep, and general mental and physical health, without unwanted sedative effects [7].

This wasn’t an isolated finding.

A 2023 study analyzed pooled data from 1,213 adults with mood complaints. Participants had all received either 80 mg of the standardized lavender oil preparation daily or a placebo for 10 weeks [8].

Across the trials, oral lavender oil was associated with significant improvements in both clinician-rated and self-reported measures of a calmer mood. Improvements were observed for both psychological and physical complaints [8].

As smell was not a factor in these studies, it suggests that certain constituents of lavender oil have actual, measurable biological activities in the brain and body when you swallow it.

2. Lavender Oil May Influence Overactive Neurons

How could swallowing lavender oil affect the brain?

One possible explanation of the calm feeling that comes from lavender oil involves calcium channels, which help brain cells communicate with one another. These channels influence the release of neurotransmitters and how easily brain cells become activated.

In laboratory research, standardized lavender oil affected several types of calcium channels, which may help quiet excessive nerve-cell activity. These effects were seen in neurons from the hippocampus, a brain region tied to emotions and the stress response [5].

And here's something interesting—and surprising. Lavender does not work as a sedative.

Feeling calmer, and feeling foggy or groggy are not the same thing.

Clinical studies of standardized oral lavender oil have generally not observed the sedation effects typically associated with conventional calming agents [9].

3. Lavender May Interact With Serotonin and Glutamate Signaling

Calcium channels may be one small part of a larger story.

Laboratory research also suggests lavender essential oil and linalool may also interact with the serotonin transporter (SERT) and the NMDA glutamate receptor [4].

Serotonin is involved in mood, emotional flexibility, sleep, appetite, and many other functions. Glutamate, meanwhile, is the brain’s major excitatory neurotransmitter. Healthy brain function depends on an intricate balance between excitation and inhibition.

The emerging science is too new to conclude that  lavender’s effects are due to any single neurotransmitter, and brain function is rarely that simple anyway.

Lavender oil contains multiple bioactive compounds, and the available evidence suggests it may influence several neural pathways simultaneously.

4. Oral Lavender Oil May Support Better Sleep (Without Knocking You Out)

One of the most commonly discussed lavender benefits is sleep.

But again, details matter.

If occasional anxiety keeps your brain on high alert at night, helping the nervous system settle may indirectly support better sleep. That may be relevant to oral lavender oil’s role in your bedtime routine.

In one analysis of sleep and oral lavender oil, the conclusion was that improvement in sleep appeared to be mediated primarily by the reduction in anxiousness rather than sedation [10].

In other words, lavender may support sleep because a calmer brain can have an easier time transitioning into sleep, not because lavender actually makes you feel sleepy.

5. The Benefits May Extend to Physical Signs of Stress

Stress isn’t "all in your head".

It can show up in your muscles, stomach, breathing, heart rate, energy, and sleep. Anyone who has experienced a racing heart before a presentation or a knotted stomach during a stressful week understands that the brain and body are inseparable.

In a meta-analysis of oral lavender oil and the physical symptoms associated with stress, researchers reported improvements in overall somatic anxiety, including measures related to muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, and genitourinary complaints. Participants also reported improvements in aspects of physical health, sleep challenges, and fatigue [11].

The findings highlight something we see repeatedly in brain health: supporting a healthier stress response can influence how stress is experienced throughout the body.

Is Oral Lavender Oil Safe?

This is where people need to be especially careful.

The research described above is primarily on a standardized lavender oil preparation that is designed and dosed specifically for human consumption. It should not be interpreted as evidence that any bottle of lavender essential oil is safe to drink.

Do not ingest an essential oil simply because the label says “lavender” or “natural.”

That said, in clinical studies of standardized oral lavender oil, tolerability has generally been favorable. Gastrointestinal complaints (including lavender-flavored burping) are among the more commonly reported side effects. Reviews have not found evidence of clinically meaningful drowsiness or withdrawal, suggesting it is non-habit-forming [9,12].

Still, supplements can interact with medications or be inappropriate for certain individuals [13]. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, medical conditions, upcoming surgery, and prescription medications are all reasons to discuss oral essential-oil preparations with a knowledgeable healthcare professional before taking them.

Aromatherapy vs. Oral Lavender Oil: Are They Doing the Same Thing?

Not exactly. The two approaches aren't  interchangeable, but they may be complementary [14].

Here is a comparison chart to summarize the differences:

The Bottom Line on Lavender Benefits

Lavender is a good example of why we shouldn’t dismiss traditional natural remedies, or on the flipside, believe bold claims without doing any research.

Follow the science!

Research supports plausible neurological mechanisms for lavender’s effects, including interactions with neurons, serotonin and glutamate systems, and pathways connecting smell with emotional processing.

Aromatherapy research suggests that inhaled lavender may help promote relaxation and reduce feelings of anxiety, although study quality and methods vary considerably [15].

The evidence for oral lavender oil benefits, however, is particularly noteworthy. Multiple randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses of a standardized Lavandula angustifolia oil preparation have reported benefits related to occasional anxiety, sleep, somatic stress, and quality of life.

Just remember the words “oral” and “standardized” are critical.

Sometimes an old remedy survives for generations because people simply like the ritual.

Sometimes science eventually explains what’s been happening beneath the surface.

Lavendar is a perfect example of the latter. Expect even more valuable research to be coming soon.

References

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2. Soudry, Y., Lemogne, C., Malinvaud, D., Consoli, S.-M., & Bonfils, P. (2011). Olfactory system and emotion: Common substrates. European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases, 128(1), 18–23.
3. Sowndhararajan, K., Deepa, P., Kim, M., Park, S. J., & Kim, S. (2021). Therapeutic effects and mechanisms of essential oils in mood disorders: Interaction between the nervous and respiratory systems. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(9), 4844.
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7. Kasper, S., Gastpar, M., Müller, W. E., Volz, H. P., Möller, H. J., Schläfke, S., & Dienel, A. (2010). Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is effective in the treatment of "subsyndromal" anxiety disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 25(5), 277–287.
8. Dold, M., Bartova, L., Volz, H. P., Seifritz, E., Möller, H. J., Schläfke, S., & Kasper, S. (2023). Efficacy of Silexan in patients with anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 273(7), 1615–1628.
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14. Gong, M., Dong, H., Tang, Y., Huang, W., & Lu, F. (2020). The best route of administration of lavender for anxiety: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. General Hospital Psychiatry, 64, 33–40.
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