Lavender has been used in India for fragrance, relaxation, and sleep for generations, especially in oils, incense, and massage. For a long time, however, its calming reputation rested more on tradition than solid science. That has changed over the past decade. Modern research has begun to seriously examine whether lavender can truly help people with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)—a condition marked by constant worry, restlessness, poor sleep, and physical tension, and one that affects millions of Indians today.
Early studies on lavender focused on massage and aromatherapy. People who received lavender oil massage often reported feeling calmer and more positive. Critics rightly asked: was it the lavender, or just the soothing effect of massage and human touch? When researchers compared lavender oil massage with massage using odourless oil—especially in stressful settings like intensive care units—patients felt less anxious with lavender, but objective measures like blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing did not change much. It was even suggested that lavender might simply be masking unpleasant hospital smells rather than directly reducing anxiety.
Later studies used more refined methods and showed that the smell of lavender does change brain activity, especially brain waves linked to relaxation and alert calmness. Interestingly, people exposed to lavender not only felt better but also performed mental tasks, such as mathematics, more accurately and more calmly. In contrast, rosemary aroma made people work faster but not necessarily better. This suggested that lavender may support a calm, focused state rather than just stimulation.
The most important shift came when researchers moved beyond smell and massage and tested oral lavender oil capsules. This allowed for proper double-blind studies—where neither patients nor doctors knew who was getting lavender and who was getting standard anti-anxiety medication. In one landmark trial, lavender oil capsules were compared head-to-head with lorazepam (Ativan), a commonly prescribed benzodiazepine used for anxiety. Benzodiazepines are effective but often cause drowsiness, mental fog, dependence, and withdrawal problems—serious concerns in long-term use.
The results were striking. Lavender reduced anxiety just as effectively as lorazepam. By the end of the study, doctors could not reliably tell who had taken the drug and who had taken lavender. Among those who responded well, lavender sometimes performed slightly better, and importantly, without sedation, hangover-like effects, or addiction risk. For a country like India—where anxiety is common, access to psychotherapy is limited, and long-term benzodiazepine use is widespread—this finding is especially relevant.
However, caution is necessary. A case series published in The New England Journal of Medicine raised concerns about the hormonal effects of lavender. Young boys exposed repeatedly to lavender-containing soaps, lotions, and hair products developed temporary breast tissue enlargement (gynecomastia), which resolved after stopping exposure. Laboratory studies suggest that lavender oil can weakly activate estrogen receptors and reduce male hormone activity in cells. It is still unclear whether these effects occur inside the human body when lavender oil is taken orally, especially in adults, but this uncertainty means lavender should not be used indiscriminately—particularly in children or for long-term high-dose use.
The bottom line: modern research suggests that standardised oral lavender oil may be a safe, non-addictive option for mild to moderate generalized anxiety, especially for adults who cannot tolerate or do not wish to use benzodiazepines. It is not a magic cure, and it should not replace medical care when anxiety is severe, but it represents a rare meeting point of traditional plant medicine and modern clinical science.
References
Kasper S. et al. “Lavender oil preparation Silexan is effective in generalized anxiety disorder.” International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2010.
Woelk H, Schläfke S. “A multi-center, double-blind, randomized study of lavender oil versus lorazepam.” Phytomedicine, 2010.
Herz RS. “Aromatherapy facts and fictions.” Chemical Senses, 2009.
Henley DV et al. “Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender and tea tree oils.” New England Journal of Medicine, 2007.
Koulivand PH et al. “Lavender and the nervous system.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013.