THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Volume 19, Number 1, 2013, pp. 6971

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/acm.2012.0089

Short Report

Effect of Inhaled Essential Oils on Mental Exhaustion

and Moderate Burnout: A Small Pilot Study
Elizabeth Varney, LICSW,1 and Jane Buckle, PhD, RN2

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a mixture of essential oils
(peppermint, basil, and helichrysum) on mental exhaustion, or moderate burnout (ME/MB) using a personal inhaler.
Design: This was a randomized, controlled, double-blind pilot study. Data were collected 3 times a day for 3
weeks (MondayFriday). The first week was baseline for both groups, the second week was intervention
(aromatherapy or placebo), and the third week was washout.
Settings/location: Participants used a personal inhaler at home or at work.
Subjects: The subjects comprised a convenience sample of 13 women and 1 man who each had self-assessed
ME/MB.
Interventions: Participants were randomized to receive a personal inhaler containing either a mixture of essential
oils or rose water (as used in Indian cooking).
Outcome measures: The outcome measures were a 010 scale with 10 = worst feeling of burnout, 0 = no feeling of
burnout. There was a qualitative questionnaire rating aroma and a questionnaire listing perceived stressors.
Results: While both groups had a reduction in perception of ME/MB, the aromatherapy group had a much
greater reduction.
Conclusions: The results suggest that inhaling essential oils may reduce the perceived level of mental fatigue/
burnout. Further research is warranted.

However, lavender is also used as a sedative5 and may

reduce the ability to concentrate and exacerbate stress due to
mental fatigue or burnout. This study focused on two
symptoms of burnout: emotional fatigue/apathy as the main
symptom and stress/anxiety as the second symptom. A
mixture of three essential oils was used: two stimulant essential oils (to address the fatigue) and one balancing essential oil (to address the anxiety). Mentha x piperita
(peppermint) essential oil can increase alertness and mental
clarity.6 Ocimum basilicum ct linalol (basil) essential oil reduces mental fatigue and has antidepressant properties.7
Helichrysum italicum (helichrysum) essential oil is known for
its calming and soothing properties.8 Rosewater was used as
the control because it is a very subtle aroma (unlike rose
essential oil) and, while rosewater is used in cosmetics and
Indian cooking, inhaling diluted rosewater is not known to
have any therapeutic effects. This small pilot study explored
the effects of a mixture of three essential oils, or diluted
rosewater, using a simple plastic personal inhaler, on

Introduction
aslach and Leiter1 defined burnout as a prolonged
response to chronic emotional and interpersonal
stressors. The symptoms are exhaustion, cynicism, and
inefficacy. Existing research focuses on burnout in health care
professionals2 and stressful workplaces.3 However, burnout
is a psychosocial issue that is influenced by personal and
relationship factors and can affect anyone who is under persistent pressure, whether at work or home. These unrelenting
pressures could be due to work, child care, caring for an
elderly relative, or returning to school later in life. Aromatherapy using essential oils that target mental fatigue,
drowsiness, and/or depression may help alleviate symptoms
of burnout.
Aromatherapy is a popular complementary therapy that is
often used to reduce stress. While the evidence is mainly
anecdotal, some recent research indicates that essential oils
such as lavender may reduce stress by inducing relaxation.4

Private Practice, Andover, MA.

RJ Buckle Associates, Hazlet, NJ.

69

70
symptoms of self-assessed mental exhaustion or moderate
burnout (ME/MB) in a convenience sample.
Materials and Methods
Fourteen (14) adults (13 females and 1 male) responded to
an e-mail sent to friends and colleagues. The e-mail outlined
the study and asked for volunteers who had self-assessed
ME/MB. Two (2) separate sets of plastic inhalers were filled
with (1) the aromatherapy mixture or (2) placebo/rosewater.
The aromatherapy inhalers contained 4 drops jojoba oil,
10 drops peppermint, 8 drops basil, and 2 drops helichrysum. The control inhalers contained 4 drops jojoba oil and
20 drops of rosewater. Peppermint and basil essential oils
evaporate more quickly than helicrysum, so a higher proportion of them created a lasting balance. The aromatherapy
(or control) mixture was dropped onto a cotton insert. The
cotton insert was then placed inside the inhaler and the base
was plugged with a plastic tab. The inhalers containing
the essential oils were then marked with a red sticker, and
the control group inhalers were marked with a purple
sticker.
Packets including (1) an instruction sheet, (2) a 010 score
to rate burnout, and (3) a log to track ratings were created
and marked with either a purple or red sticker. Packets and
inhalers were matched by their colored stickers and then put
into plain mailing envelopes. The plain envelopes were
shuffled, put into a box, and then randomly selected and
mailed to participants so the Principal Investigator did not
know who was receiving the aromatherapy or the control.
Participants
The aromatherapy group had 7 participants (one male
and 6 females) aged 2545 years. They included a working
mother, a full-time mother, a working father, and a full-time
graduate student. Jobs included psychotherapist, special
education coordinator, nonprofit executive director, and a
fund-raising and development associate. The control group
had 7 women. Four (4) were aged 2545, 2 were 4565, and 1
was over 65. One (1) participant was a full-time mother with
a child under the age of 3 years. One (1) was a full-time
graduate student, and 1 was a part-time graduate student
who was working part time as well. The remaining 3 participants held jobs as a clinical social worker, developmental
specialist, educator, and an office coordinator.

VARNEY AND BUCKLE

oils. A 010-point assessment scale was used to rate mental
fatigue or mild burnout. This was aided with descriptors
such as no burnout, feeling alert, focused, hopeful, and optimistic = 10. At the other end of the scale were descriptors
such as extreme burnout, lack of attention at work, negative
feelings, lack of focus and drowsiness = 0. An easy-to-use log
was created so participants could rate their ME/MB
throughout the 3-week study. In the log, each participant
circled the number on the scale that corresponded to their
level of ME/MB at the (1) beginning, (2) middle, and (3) end
of each day. A separate form (to rate reaction to the smell
or the inhaler) was included that asked if the participant recognized the aroma and if they found it easy to use the inhaler.
Procedure
Each participant signed an informed consent form. As this
was a very small pilot study with friends and colleagues, no
IRB was completed. Completed forms and questionnaires
were returned in a stamped addressed envelope at the end of
the study. During the 3-week study, participants were asked
to measure their feelings of ME/MB 3 times daily in a log
using a 010-point scale. A range of 03 indicated the participant was feeling alert, fully focused, mentally sharp,
feeling optimistic. A rating of 47 indicated difficulty focusing, drifting attention, feeling neutral or, just going
through the motions of the day. A rating of 810 indicated
drowsy, low attention, feeling of anger/resentment, discouragement. Each participant was asked to circle one
number on the 010 scale each time they used the log.
Participants were also asked to complete an Impressions
Page. This was a list of yes/no questions asking questions
such as whether the participants could identify the aroma
and whether it brought up memories.
The first week measured baseline. The second week was
the intervention: Participants used the inhalers (aromatherapy or placebo). They inhaled 3 times through one nostril
and 3 times through the other nostril every hour of their

Apparatus
The white plastic personal inhalers were purchased from
Birch Hill Happenings Aromatherapy, LLC. The peppermint
oil came from SunRose Aromatics, New York. The basil and
helichrysum essential oils came from Florahana Distributors,
France. The countries of origin were basil (Egypt), helichrysum (France), and peppermint (United States). The rose
water (Rose Petals Rosewater) was manufactured by Heritage Products, Virginia Beach, VA and purchased at Whole
Foods. The material safety data sheets were supplied by
www.essentialoil.com.
Demographic data were collected on participants age,
gender, job description, typical work/school schedule, outside work responsibilities (such as caring for children or
elderly people), and participants experience with essential

FIG. 1. Average rate of mental exhaustion/moderate

burnout calculated for each participant for each of the 3
weeks of the study.

AROMATHERAPY AND BURNOUT

71

Table 1. Mean Burnout for Each Week

Weeks
1 Baseline
2 Intervention
3 Washout

Aroma
group

Standard
deviation

Placebo
group

Standard
deviation

4.18
3.30
3.82

2.23
2.24
1.72

4.35
3.86
4.04

2.09
1.80
1.65

% Change from week 12: Aroma group = 21.11%; Placebo

group = 11.28%.
% Change from week 13: Aroma group = 8.73%; Placebo group =
7.06%.

working day; this produced approximately seven uses daily.

Participants were asked to keep to the protocol and not use
the inhaler at other times. The third week was a washout
week when participants logged their feelings of burnout
without using the inhaler.

about what people would think if they saw her using the
inhaler. Finally, two additional testing periods, after a
washout when the aroma group received the control (rosewater) and the control group received aroma, would have
strengthened the study.
Conclusions
While both groups had a reduction in symptoms during
the second (intervention) week, the decrease in symptoms of
the aromatherapy group was double the reduction of the
symptoms of the control group. Inhaling a mixture of peppermint, basil, and helichrysum essential oils several times a
day appears to reduce the symptoms of moderate mental
exhaustion and/or burnout. Future studies are warranted.
Acknowledgments
We thank the friends and colleagues who gave their time
to take part in this study.

Results
Data were entered into a spreadsheet. The average rate of
ME/MB was calculated for each participant for each of the
3 weeks (Fig. 1). Five (5) of the 7 participants in the aromatherapy group rated their burnout average for week 2 as
lower than week 1 or 3. However, the control group had the
same result, but the aromatherapy group improved by
21.11% while the control group only improved by 11.28%
(Table 1). There was a slight difference between the aromatherapy group and the control group in week 3 during the
washout period when the aromatherapy group improved
8.73% while the control group improved by 7.06% (possibly
suggesting a carryover effect of using the inhalers).
Limitations
This was a small pilot study and the participants were
mainly white females, so although the results were encouraging, they may not be generalizable. The Impressions Page
indicated that very few participants could name peppermint
when it was part of a mixture. Very few could identify
rosewater either. While rosewater was used as a control, it
appeared to have some effects of its own. This could be a
placebo response, or possibly inhaling rosewater has some
antistress effects. This could be explored in future research.
As participants rated their own burnout scores as being in
the middle range of the 010 scale, this study was looking at
moderate burnout rather than extreme burnout. The reduction in symptoms in both groups during the second week
could be attributed to participants stopping every hour to
take six deep breaths. Indeed, some participants wrote in
their Impressions Page how helpful it was to breathe and
check in. Another limitation is that some participants did
not use their inhaler every day: Some were sick and others
just forgot to use the inhaler. One (1) participant worried

Disclosure Statement
No competing financial interests exist.
References
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4. Shimada K, Fukuda S, Maeda K, et al. Aromatherapy alleviates endothelial dysfunction of medical staff after night-shift
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Address correspondence to:

Liz Varney, LICSW
Private Psychotherapist
10 High Street
Andover, Ma 01810
E-mail: liz.varney@gmail.com

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