Tinnitus and essential oils

Name of treatment	Essential oils
Type of treatment	Use of oil as topical treatment or via inhalation or diffusion
Claims for treatment	Removes tinnitus percept – different oils have different claims for the mechanism by how this is achieved.
How treatment is delivered	By application to skin; via inhalation
Potential negative consequences	Cost Skin or membrane irritation, photosensitivity & other allergic reactions [1] Toxicity
Evidence offered:
Papers available	There have been no papers published on essential oils as a treatment for tinnitus[2] [3].
Conclusions drawn	There is limited evidence to support the use of certain essential oils as an aid to sleep or to reduce anxiety. There is no evidence to support the use of essential oils as a treatment for tinnitus.
Quality of evidence[4]	B
Does the BTA recommend this treatment?	No
BTA opinion on this treatment:	Current tinnitus management guidelines suggest the use of relaxation strategies to help manage tinnitus. Some essential oils may be considered as a way to improve relaxation
Would the BTA support further studies into this treatment?	Yes provided study is sufficiently large scale and rigorous.
Verdict: Safety - is this treatment harmful?	Limited evidence of harm
Verdict: Efficacy - does this treatment work?	No evidence that it is effective
Comments	Most commonly suggested oils for tinnitus, Basil oil Cypress oil Frankincense oil Helichrysum oil Juniper berry oil Lavender oil Lilies oil Patchouli oil Petitgrain oil Rehmannia oil Spotted orchid oil
Date completed	February 2020
Date for revision	February 2023

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tinnitus and essential oils

[1] De Groot AC, Schmidt E.(2016) Essential Oils, Part 1: Introduction. Dermatitis 27(2) 39-42

[2] Pubmed search by author 10 February 2020

[3] DiSogra RM. (2019) Essential Oils for Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Vertigo. Audiology Today. July/August 2019. Available from https://www.audiology.org/audiology-today-julyaugust-2019/essential-oils-hearing-loss-tinnitus-and-vertigo [accessed 11 February 2020]

[4] A = Systematic review/meta analysis. B = Randomised control studies. C = Cohort studies. D = Case control studies. E = case studies/reports. +/- to be used to indicate quality within bands

Updated 11 February 2020

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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