Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Environmental Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1423870
This article is part of the Research Topic Greening Urban Spaces and Human Health, Volume II View all 18 articles

Assessing the Anxiolytic and Relaxation Effects of Cinnamomum camphora Essential Oil in College Students: A Comparative Study of EEG, Physiological Measures, and Psychological Responses

Provisionally accepted
Gong X. fei Gong X. fei 1Yujun Yang Yujun Yang 2Tong Xu Tong Xu 1*Dongsheng Yao Dongsheng Yao 1*Shengyu Lin Shengyu Lin 1*Weiyin Chang Weiyin Chang 1*
  • 1 Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
  • 2 College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    1) Background: Cinnamomum camphora is a commercially important tree species in China, and it's also a common native tree in the forests of southern China. However, literature on the impact of Cinnamomum camphora essential oil (CCEO) on human psychophysiological activity is scarce. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to examine the effect of exposure to CCEO on the functioning of the human autonomic nervous system, electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, and emotional state;(2) Methods: Forty-three healthy university students participated. The data collected included heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, and the results of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) test; (3) Results: A drop in diastolic pressure (DBP) and pulse rate was also noticed after participants inhaled CCEO. Furthermore, EEG studies have demonstrated notable reductions in absolute beta (AB), absolute gamma (AG), absolute high beta (AHB), and relative gamma (RG) power spectra during exposure to CCEO. Conversely, the relative theta (RT) and power spectra values showed a significant increase. Additionally, the finding from POMS indicated that the fragrance evoked positive emotions and suppressed negative feelings; (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that exposure to CCEO may promote mental and physical relaxation, facilitate cognitive processes such as memory and attention, and enhance mood states.

    Keywords: Cinnamomum camphora, Essential oil, Aromatherapy, Electroencephalogram, Natural therapy

    Received: 26 Apr 2024; Accepted: 17 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 fei, Yang, Xu, Yao, Lin and Chang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Tong Xu, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian Province, China
    Dongsheng Yao, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian Province, China
    Shengyu Lin, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian Province, China
    Weiyin Chang, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.