Aromatherapy is the practice of therapeutic use of essential plant-based oils. Essential oils and aromatherapy have been used in the care of women for centuries. The published research has used small samples and often combines other complementary therapies with aromatherapy; however, the use of essential oils has not been shown to cause harm and is accepted by women. Aromatherapy mixtures are appropriate for use by nurses in labor and delivery settings. The article reviews the literature and discusses appropriate essential oil mixtures for use in women's health setting and labor and delivery.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.