Aromatherapy Oil Reduces the Desire for Nicotine Among Smokers

Aroma of essential oils can reduce the Nicotine demand of smokers.

According to a study published by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20 people, who are addicted to nicotine products such as cigarettes, tobacco and snuff, were asked to try using two types of aromatherapy oils to find out whether they could reduce their desire for nicotine.
20 people were divided into two groups and were asked to inhale black pepper or angelica oil present on a tissue for two minutes. 10 people were requested to inhale black pepper and the other 10 to inhale angelica. Two minutes were required as it is the same time it takes them to smoke a cigarette for most of the people.
After the aromatherapy experiment of two minutes, people were required to submit their experiences.
Both essential oils i.e. black pepper and angelica were able to control the desire for nicotine for the test subjects. However, different reactions of the test subjects were recorded. Inhaling black pepper was more successful in controlling their craving for nicotine than that of angelica. However, at the same time, it took longer for the people who inhaled angelica to crave for their next nicotine dose than that of people who inhaled black pepper.
According to Barbara Cordell, who is a certified clinical aromatherapy specialist, both black pepper and angelica were employed separately in the research. However, for her, if the purpose was to quit smoking, she would have told the test subjects to use both aromatherapies. There are different properties attached with angelica and black pepper as one is calmer and the latter one is used as a stimulant.
As the study concludes that although aromatherapy may not be named as a miracle cure to control the nicotine desire for people yet it can equally be used as a strategy to assist such nicotine addicted people to quit.
Both essentials oils are also pretty affordable and will help people quit smoking. On the other hand, other nicotine replacement products are associated with irritations, sleep disturbances, dizziness, nausea, hiccups, muscle throbbing, skin irritation, uneasiness, bad temper and poor concentration skills.
Here the question comes that whether this method can be called better than other conventional aids used to help people quit tobacco or not.
Cigarettes have fragrance chemicals not only for the smokers themselves to feel a certain kind of pleasurable association with smoking but also for making people other than smokers to accept the smoking phenomenon.
Aromatic vapors are also employed in electronic cigarettes with and without nicotine to curb the desire for nicotine for smokers. However, according to a 2009 FDA report, it was associated with hazardous chemical materials such as diethylene glycol, which is actually employed in anti-freezing products.
Similarly, electronic cigarettes are also associated with breathing problems for smokers as well as non-smokers. Moreover, according to a research report published by School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, vapors of e-cigarettes were considered similar to that of industrial vapors posing immense health hazards for smokers and non-smokers.
Although aromatherapy contributed to reduce the desire for nicotine yet there are no long term studies conducted to prove the statement on a higher level that it can successfully be used to make people quit smoking.
It is interesting to note that there are no studies associated with essential oil of tobacco absolute, which people actually claim that it has helped them quit smoking.
Dr Cordell articulates that scientists have just started to analyze how aromatherapy or these essential oils work.
NEXT: Remedy to reduce nicotine desire