The effect of foot-bath with or without the essential oil of lavender on the autonomic nervous system: a randomized trial

Objectives:This study was designed to investigate the effect of foot-bath w ith or without the essential oil of lavender on the autonomic nervous syste m. Design: Randomized crossover controlled study. Setting: Nursing college, Nagano, Japan. Intervention:Young women sat with their feet soaked in hot water for 10 minutes with and without the essential oil. Outcome measures:A n electrocardiogram, finger tip blood now and respiratory rate were recorde d,Autonomic function was evaluated using spectral analysis of heart rate va riability. Results:The foot-bath caused no changes in heart or respiratory rates, but produced a significant increase in blood now. Using spectral ana lysis, the parasympathetic nerve activity increased significantly during th e both types of foot-bath. In the case of the foot-bath with the addition o f essential oil of lavender, there were delayed changes to the balance of a utonomic activity in the direction associated with relaxation. Conclusion:A hot foot-bath and oil of lavender appear to be associated with small but s ignificant changes in autonomic activity. (C) 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.