Effects of Ylang-Ylang aroma on blood pressure and heart rate in healthy men

Although the Ylang-Ylang aroma (YYA) has used as a general method for enhancing sedative effect, there was a little report on the efficacy of YYA on heart function using the electrocardiogram (EKG). Therefore, identifying of the effects of YYA on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) is important in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of YYA. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of YYA on BP and HR in healthy men. Twenty-nine men took part in this study. The subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups: Ylang-Ylang group (YYG, n= 15) and control group (CG, n= 14). Physiological parameters recorded were BP by using a sphygmomanometer and HR by using an EKG. The present results demonstrated that inhalation of YYA significantly decreased the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inhalation of YYA also significantly decreased the HRs in 10 leads, except in lead I and aVR. This indicates that the HRs recorded in lead I and aVR were less sensitive or obtuse compared to those in the 10 other leads. Therefore, such a result reveals that it is necessary to be aware of the terms regarding the position. In the present results, YYA caused a reduction of HR and BP, and a relief of the arousal level in healthy men. The present results show a sedative effect of YYA, and this study provides some evidences for the usage of YYA in medicinal agent.