Essential Oils in the Workplace

This weekend the BCAPA had two Continuing Education Days and their AGM, so I had a great time connecting with other Aromatherapists from all over BC. Jennifer Jefferies from Australia was the presenter both days. On Sunday she gave us a shortened version of her 7 Steps to Sanity presentation that she gives to corporate business all over the world. She is passionate about introducing aromatherapy and the use of essential oils into the workplace as they really can help one to function so much more effectively.

Research carried out by Takasago, Japan's biggest producer of fragrances showed that people working with computers made 54% fewer typing errors when the workplace was perfumed with lemon; 33% fewer with jasmine; and lavender, so incorporating essential oils into the workplace not only smells great it's also effective. Just imagine instead of everyone having to grab some sort of stimulant as the day wears on, an invigorating, gently stimulating blend is diffused instead. In addition to blending for work efficiency, one could also create blends to keep those workaholics more relaxed and grounded.

There have been a few research studies done on using essential oils in the workplace for instance:
Int J Nurs Pract. 2000 Apr;6(2):110-2.
Tysoe P.The effect on staff of essential oil burners in extended care settings. Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Because hospital wards may be associated with smells, such as chemicals, food, and people and their produce, essential oils in burners were considered a way of improving the ward atmosphere for staff. A study was conducted in three parts. A questionnaire covering a period of 1 month; lavender oil in burners for a 3-month period; and a second questionnaire. A significant number of respondents (88%) indicated in the first questionnaire their belief that the use of essential oil would have a positive effect on the workplace. Eighty-five per cent of respondents to the second questionnaire believed that there had been an improvement in the work environment following the use of the lavender oil burners.

Chemical Senses,16: 183, 1991, Kikuchi A, Tanida M, Uenoyama S, Abe T, Yamaguchi H
Effect of odours on cardiac response patterns in a reaction time task.
The effect of odours on human cardiac response patterns were examined during a simple reaction time task. Changes in the cardiac pattern were triphasic during the foreperiod between the warning stimulus and imperative stimulus (IS). Heart rate deceleration (DE), seen just prior to IS, was thought to reflect the processes of attention and anticipation. Stimulant odours would be expected to activate such processes and sedative odours would suppress them. The effect of the inhalation of rose and lemon on DE amplitude was noted, and after each trial subjective states were assessed by questionnaire. Lemon activated anticipation or attention processes (the effect increased with increasing odour concentration). The rose odour which was thought to be sedative suppressed the processes at all odour concentration levels. If a subject preferred a particular odour, its effect was stronger.

My diffuser blend for the day: Lemon 6 drops; Lavender 3 drops; Jasmine 1 drop.