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eCAM Advance Access published online on April 27, 2005
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/neh087
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© The Author (2005). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Received August 2, 2004
Revised January 10, 2005
Accepted March 28, 2005

Original Article

Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage

Hiroko Kuriyama 1*, Satoko Watanabe 1, Takaaki Nakaya 1, Ichiro Shigemori 2, Masakazu Kita 1, Noriko Yoshida 3, Daiki Masaki 3, Toshiaki Tadai 4, Kotaro Ozasa 5, Kenji Fukui 3, and Jiro Imanishi 1

1 Department of Microbiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan
2 Department of Microbiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan; Department of Research and Development, Hyper Plants Co., Ltd, Japan
3 Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan
4 Graduate School of Science for Human Services, Ritsumeikan University, Japan
5 Department of Epidemiology for Community Health and Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Hiroko Kuriyama, E-mail: khiroko{at}basic.kpu-m.ac.jp


  Abstract

This preliminary investigation compares peripheral blood cell counts including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), CD4+, CD8+ and CD16+ lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, hematocrit, humoral parameters including serum interferon-{gamma} and interleukin-6, salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). Psychological measures including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) between recipients (n = 11) of carrier oil massage and aromatherapy massage, which includes sweet almond oil, lavender oil, cypress oil and sweet marjoram oil. Though both STAI and SDS showed a significant reduction (P < 0.01) after treatment with aromatherapy and carrier massage, no difference between the aromatherapy and control massage was observed for STAI and SDS. Aromatherapy, in contrast to control massage, did not significantly reduce RBC count or hematocrit. However, aromatherapy massage showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in PBLs, possibly due to an increase in CD8+ and CD16+ lymphocytes, which had significantly increased post-treatment (P < 0.01). Consequently, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The paucity of such differences after carrier oil massage suggests that aromatherapy massage could be beneficial in disease states that require augmentation of CD8+ lymphocytes. While this study identifies the immunological benefits of aromatherapy massage, there is a need to validate the findings prospectively in a larger cohort of patients.

Keywords: anxiety; aromatherapy; immune function; massage.
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