# Lavender (oral and aromatherapy)

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/lavender/  
OnCo record `lavender` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Lavender is taken as capsules or inhaled as aromatherapy for anxiety and sleep. Trials outside cancer suggest it can ease anxiety, but in people with cancer it did not lower anxiety during radiotherapy and added nothing to massage in a hospice. It may have weak hormonal effects, so long-term use is best avoided with hormone-sensitive cancers.

## Summary

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is used in aromatherapy, cosmetics and as a traditional remedy for mood and sleep. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary cites clinical trials suggesting oral lavender preparations help depression and anxiety, and aromatherapy studies for preoperative anxiety, pain and sleep, with meta-analyses calling for more high-quality studies. In cancer settings the results are negative so far: aromatherapy did not lower anxiety during radiotherapy and lavender aromatherapy massage did not enhance the benefit of massage in a hospice. Anticancer effects are limited to cell lines and animal studies of perillyl alcohol. MSK advises against long-term oral or topical use in hormonal cancers because lavender may have weak hormonal effects, with case reports of breast development in children regularly exposed to lavender products. Reported reactions are nausea and belching orally and allergic dermatitis and photosensitivity topically. It may add to sedatives and anticonvulsants.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: phase-2
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: Linalool and linalyl acetate act on GABA-A receptors and the limbic system through smell; an oral preparation (silexan) has anxiolytic effects in trials.
- Strengths: Trials for anxiety outside cancer; Cheap and pleasant
- Limitations: Negative in the cancer studies MSK cites; Weak hormonal effects; caution in hormonal cancers; Adds to sedatives

## Sources

- MSK About Herbs: Lavender (page last updated 4 June 2021): https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/lavender

## Connected records

- technologies: [Aromatherapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/aromatherapy-cancer/), [Chamomile](https://onco.cc/technologies/chamomile/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/), [Massage therapy in cancer care](https://onco.cc/technologies/massage-therapy-cancer/), [Peppermint and peppermint oil](https://onco.cc/technologies/peppermint/), [Valerian root](https://onco.cc/technologies/valerian-root/)
- fronts: [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- bottlenecks: [Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/lavender.json