If someone you love is getting chemotherapy, instead of bringing roses, bring rose essential oil.
Despite the use of anti-nausea drugs, nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy. And the anti-nausea drugs themselves can have many side effects, including fatigue, reduced cognitive ability, headache and dry mouth. A safe, effective alternative may be offered by damask rose essential oil.
The study included 64 adults who were undergoing chemotherapy. They all continued on their antinausea drugs, but half of them added rose essential oil for two rounds of chemotherapy. Five minutes before each session, half of them put 3 drops of rose essential oil on a sterile gauze square and pinned it to their collar, 20 cm from their nose. They then breathed normally for 3 minutes before starting the chemo.
After both rounds of chemo, the people in the rose essential oil group had reduced nausea and vomiting: the difference was large and significant.
Controlling nausea and vomiting is crucial, not only because it can seriously affect quality of life, but also because it can reduce the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. Rose essential oil may be a safe, inexpensive way to do that. The researchers recommend that aromatherapy with damask rose essential oil “should be integrated into nursing care as a viable approach to effectively alleviate nausea and vomiting” of chemotherapy.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). January 2024, 2023;86(1):225-231.