Depression and other mental health disorders are unfortunately very common in America and throughout the world. Essential oils for depression are one of the best ways that you can holistically combat symptoms related to your depression.
Wellness promoting essential oils have been shown to particularly contain depression reducing properties. Try integrating essential oils into your daily routine for a more holistic approach to treating depression.
How Essential Oils For Depression Work
The Best way to use essential oils for depression is with aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a holistic treatment in which you inhale aromatic oils to help heal your body and mind. You can specifically use essential oils for aromatherapy in a couple of ways including:
- Directly Inhaling
- Diffusing
- Applying topically
Aromatherapy is very powerful because it stimulates your body’s olfactory system. The olfactory system is also known as your sense of smell. Your sense of smell is one of your body’s most receptive senses.
When you inhale an essential oil, the chemicals flow directly up your olfactory system and into your brain. Therefore, aromatherapy is a direct way of stimulating your brain. Stimulating your brain with essential oils leads to certain positive changes in your brain related to combatting depression including:
- Boosting your mood
- Promoting positive feelings
- Relaxing your mind and body
- Reducing stress
All of these changes can help reduce symptoms related to depression. Moreover, these changes will help to chemically change the way your brain works in order to eliminate depression.
1. Lavender
Lavender is one of the most widely used essential oils. Not only does it help with depression, it has also been shown to help treat skin conditions and prevent bacterial infections.
In terms of depression, lavender essential oil helps alleviate multiple symptoms associated with depression including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
Lavender is able to alleviate these depression-related symptoms because of its calming properties. Some of these include hypotensive and sedative properties.
2. Bergamot
Bergamot is a citrus fruit that looks similar to a lime. Its citrusy fragrance makes it a very uplifting oil. The bergamot essential oil primarily helps to decrease anxiety levels related to depression.
In one 2013 study, patients undergoing surgery were asked to inhale bergamot essential oil before their procedure. As a result, the patients who smelled the bergamot reported decreased levels of anxiety. The group of patients who didn’t smell the bergamot reported higher levels of anxiety.
Moreover, bergamot can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety that are related to depression. Bergamot’s uplifting citrus smell can help with your anxiety-related symptoms.
3. Jatamansi
Jatamansi is a flowering plant native to China and Nepal. It has been particularly used for centuries in traditional medicine. It helps reduce symptoms of depression by:
- Calming the mind
- Promoting sleep
The way that Jatamansi helps to reduce depression is by decreasing GABA neurotransmitters and MAO receptors in your brain. Jatamansi decreases GABA and MAO in order to relieve depressive symptoms.
4. Holy Basil
Holy basil is an adaptogenic herb. Adaptogens work to counteract the physical effects of stress on your body. Specifically, some of these effects include improving your body’s:
- Neurological functioning
- Immune system functioning
- Endocrine and hormone functioning
Moreover, holy basil un-does a lot of the physical harm that depressive stress takes on your body. Holy basil is often compared to traditional anti-depressant medicine. It is currently a listing in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine as having comparable antidepressant properties similar to diazepam and other antidepressants.
In a 2011 study, people with depression who took a holy basil supplement reported lower levels of:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
5. Chamomile
Odds are that you’ve probably had a glass of chamomile tea at bedtime before. Most people know chamomile as helping to put them to sleep. Moreover, people are right when they say chamomile helps them sleep.
However, chamomile is better than just for drinking at bedtime. Chamomile essential oil can also help relieve some of your depressive symptoms such as anxiety.
In addition to drinking it as a tea, you can use chamomile oil for a massage on your feet. The relaxing aromatherapy benefits of the oil will help boost your mood while relaxing your mind.
6. Frankincense
Frankincense is one of the most popular essential oils that people use today. It was a staple in ancient cultures like those in the middle east because of its powerful healing benefits.
In terms of your mental health, the ways that frankincense can help your depression include:
- Balancing hormones
- Helping manage pain
- Promoting relaxation
Additionally, the unique musky, earthy smell of the oil is enough to help provide you with a sense of calmness.
7. Ylang Ylang
Ylang ylang oil has a sweet yet spicy floral scent. Inhaling ylang ylang oils helps reduce depression by:
- Decreasing stress
- Decreasing anxiety
- Lowering blood pressure
- Lowering heart rate
- Decreasing cortisol
The delicious scent of ylang ylang makes it perfect for applying topically and wearing around all day. Apply the oil to your wrists and smell it throughout the day to reduce depression while smelling great.
8. Wild Ginger
Inhaling wild ginger essential oil has been shown to reduce multiple depressive symptoms. Specifically, some of these symptoms include reduced stress and more rapid responses to outer stimuli.
The way that wild ginger helps depression is by:
- Activating serotonin
- Inhibiting the corticotropinergic system
- Inhibiting the catecholaminergic system
Serotonin is a hormone that makes you feel happy. It activates when you smell wild ginger essential oil. It helps to boost your overall mood when activated.
Also, smelling wild ginger inhibits the corticotropinergic and catecholaminergic brain systems. You experience lower levels of stress when they are inhibited.
9. Rose
Roses are beautiful and they make great essential oils. Also, rose oil helps depression by promoting the release of dopamine in your brain.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is associated with positive feelings and emotions. When you have depression, your dopamine levels are low. But, smelling rose essential oil could help increase your body’s dopamine expression.
Therefore, inhaling rose oil could promote the release of dopamine leading to a better mood and reduced depressive symptoms.
