presented on March 21,1999

Cardiovascular disease, including hypertension are responsible for most of the deaths in the United States. It seems that any possible means of alleviating this problem should be looked into. Many Aromatherapy books suggest that Ylang ylang Canaga oderata var genuina maybe an hypotensor, but there has not been enough work done to really substantiate the claims. References to ylang as an hypotensor are listed below.

In my massage practice over the past 10 years, the hypotensive effects of ylang have been eluded to, as I have had moderate success with relieving borderline hypertension with aromatherapy massage which included Ylang ylang. But I did not go about tracking it in it a systematic way.

I set out to devise a simple study that could be done with a minimum of inconvenience to both my patients and myself, and one that could be easily reproduced. I at first only included my massage patients but it became evident that many friends and acquaintances also have borderline hypertension and could benefit by being included.

I give my permission for Debbie Freund RN to carry out this AromatherapyBlood Pressure study. I understand I will be asked to inhale Ylang Ylang (on a tissue) for a fifteen-minute period to see if it affects my blood pressure. Pulse and respirations will also be taken in addition to BP before and after the inhalation. If at any time I become uncomfortable with the inhalation I may stop. I understand I could experience headache or allergy symptoms.

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On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the most relaxed, and 10 being the most

stressed, please circle stress level before and after the inhalation.

Before inhalation:

__________________________________________________________________

1         2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9          10

After inhalation:

__________________________________________________________________

1         2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9          10

Control

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the most relaxed, and 10 being the most

stressed, please circle stress level before and after the rest period.

Before Rest:

__________________________________________________________________

1         2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9          10

After 15 minutes rest

__________________________________________________________________

1         2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9          10

Preliminary conclusions:

The data do seem to suggest that ylang inhalation does have an effect on borderline hypertension. It was a wakeup call to many of the participants as they previously refused to believe that daily life was affecting them at such cost to their cardiovascular systems. They at first could not believe that simply inhaling something could do anything for them. It became evident to me that 14 patients are not enough to make this study significant, but time constraints kept me from doing more.

I will carry on this study over the next 2 years and hope to include more than 500 patients. I have already sought permission from a local Health club to gather data there, and will go out into the community to get the participants I need. It is not hard to find patients with borderline hypertension. Most participants liked the smell of Ylang.

Comments:

One c/o of a headache 10 minutes into the inhalation.

One stated it smells like "monkey poop."

One person in the room with the participant stated the Ylang "blocked her sinuses."

Almost all participants requested a small bottle to carry around in their pocket to smell PRN when under stress.