5 Best Essential Oils for Anxiety

Millions of people have used essential oils for centuries to fight anxiety. While modern medicine has pharmaceutical solutions for anxiety, drugs carry more risks than essential oils. Modern scientific investigation has provided evidence that essential oils may help with a variety of conditions. If you are looking for an easy way to manage anxiety that doesn’t require drugs or expensive therapies, essential oils may be right for you. Keep reading to learn more about the 5 best essential oils for anxiety and their other possible benefits.

Traditional Medicinals

While modern medicine has worked miracles, most of the solutions are relatively new. Traditional treatments have increased in popularity lately, in part because of how long they have been used. It’s easier to trust something that has been used for thousands of years, especially since modern science considers them safe, too. 

1. Lavender

The Romans used Lavender oil as early as 77 A.D. to repel insects and heal insect bites. In traditional medicine, lavender is used as a sedative, anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic. It may also be useful in resolving intestinal gas. Most of these claims have not been proved scientifically, but evidence does exist to support some claims. Preliminary studies indicate it may help you sleep better and feel less anxious, and it does have some antibiotic function. It may also help with wound healing.

Glass bottle of Lavender essential oil with fresh lavender flowers and dried lavender seeds one of 5 best essential oils for anxiety.
Lavender Is Used As A Sedative, Anti-Depressant, Anti-Inflammatory, And Antibiotic (Image Source: Shutterstock)

Lavender oil can be used as a perfume, in an aromatherapy diffuser, or as a topical skin application. It can also be taken internally. Massage therapists use it to help their clients relax. Many people apply it to the temples at bedtime to help them fall asleep easier. 

2. Chamomile

Chamomile is most popularly known as a bedtime tea. You may even have some in your cupboard. The tea bags can also be used as a compress. In traditional medicine, chamomile is seen as a cure-all. Ancient Egyptians used chamomile, and its first recorded use dates back to 1550 B.C. It was used to calm the mind and as an anti-inflammatory and digestive aid.

Small glass bottle with essential roman chamomile oil on the old wooden background.
Chamomile Calm Muscle Spasms, Slow The Growth Of Polio, And Ulcers (Image Source: Shutterstock)

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, one of the top hospitals in the world, promotes chamomile for several medicinal effects, including as a mild bactericidal compound and as an anti-inflammatory agent. It can also calm muscle spasms and slow the growth of polio, herpes viruses, and ulcers. Apigenin is found in chamomile; this binds to brain receptors that promote sedation.

Clinical trials have demonstrated chamomile’s anti-anxiety effects for people diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia. In colostomy patients, it has helped heal skin lesions. Chamomile oil can be applied to the temples at bedtime to help you relax before bed.

3. Ylang-ylang

Oils from the Cananga odorata flower are called ylang-ylang and have been used in traditional medicine in Southeast Asia for centuries. Indonesians decorate with the flowers. Traditional uses include healing skin and thickening hair. It is also considered to be an aphrodisiac and is a major ingredient in Chanel No. 5 perfume.  

Ylang-ylang flower and essential oil.
Ylang-ylang can heal skin and has thickening hair feature (Image Source: Shutterstock)

Medical studies indicate it can be helpful as a topical application for wound healing and to reducing anxiety. It is most often used during massage therapy, in bathwater, and as part of an aromatherapy blend.  

4. Holy Basil

Ancient peoples from Taiwan to East Africa have used Holy Basil for thousands of years. It is prominent in Ayurvedic medicine and is an integral part of Hindu worship practices. It is closely related to culinary basil, but there are distinct differences. In traditional practices, it is used to treat a wide range of ailments from abscesses and stomach pain to colds, parasitic diarrhea, leprosy, and tumors. The full list of traditional uses is quite extensive. 

A bottle of essential oil with fresh holy basil.
Holy Basil Tea Can Help Diabetics Manage Their Blood Sugar (Image Source: Shutterstock)

Scientific investigations of Holy Basil have demonstrated that it increases the strength of the immune system and has mild antidepressant effects. Eye drops made from the oil create a therapeutic response in patients who have undergone cataract surgery or have other eye conditions like conjunctivitis. Some studies indicate that Holy Basil tea can help diabetics manage their blood sugar.

Holy Basil can be applied as an oil to the skin or in eyedrops. It can also be consumed as a tea or used in a diffuser. 

5. Jasmine

The history of jasmine is so deep that people aren’t even sure about its country of origin. Traditionally, it has been used by the Chinese as tea and as a fragrance. The Egyptians used it for anxiety, headaches, and sleep aid, but there is insufficient evidence that it is medically useful. It is widely purported to be an aphrodisiac and is also used as a massage oil. The most common uses of jasmine oil are as a perfume or as part of aromatherapy. 

Essential aroma oil with jasmine on wooden background.
Jasmine Is Widely Purported To Be An Aphrodisiac And Is Also Used As A Massage Oil (Image Source: Shutterstock)

CBD Oils Relieve Anxiety and Work Well with Aromatherapy

These 5 best essential oils for anxiety are easy to combine with CBD oil. Many of the conditions that can be treated with essential oils can also be helped by taking CBD oil. Kaleidoscope Boost is a full-spectrum CBD oil I’ve been using in conjunction with aromatherapy.

I’ve recently been asked, can CBD help lose weight? Many people gain weight because of emotional eating. Chronic pain and arthritis can also interfere with a healthy exercise program. Because it can relieve anxiety and chronic pain, CBD oil may help you control your eating and exercise more, which may lead to improved health and lower weight.  

Treating anxiety costs billions in lost productivity and treatment, to say nothing of the emotional and mental toll. When you learn how to use essential oils and CBD, you will have discovered safe and effective tools for relieving anxiety. I like CBD and essential oils because they are simple, safe, and easy to use. I feel stronger and happier, and they help me maintain my mental and spiritual health.

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The different essential oil scents have a wide range of effects. Your personal experience will be unique to you, so it will pay to explore your options so you can get all of the aromatherapy benefits. I have found that having an essential oils uses chart helps me get the most out of my oils. 

How do you manage your anxiety? I recommend trying essential oils as a pleasant and gentle way to brighten your day and relax your mood.