Crescent Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences (Oct 2021)
A Review of Aromatherapy for Cardiovascular Disorders: From Persian Medicine to Current Evidence
Abstract
Objectives: Cardiovascular disorders are the most common causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Complementary medicine reduces the complications related to cardiovascular disorders while improving the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to review the effects of aromatherapy on cardiovascular disorders from the perspectives of Persian and modern medicine. Methods: In this review article, information related to Persian medicine was collected by searching through "Comprehensive Library of Traditional and Islamic Medicine" software (Noor Digital Library) using keywords such as "smelling", "sham", "lakhlakheh", "bakhoor", "heart", and "dill". Additionally, to find clinical trials (1994-2019) related to the effect of aromatherapy on cardiovascular disorders, electronic databases such as ISI, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched using several keywords including "cardiovascular disorder", "heart," "coronary", "cardiovascular disease", "cardiac", "aroma", and "aromatherapy". Results: According to Persian medicine references, the heart is the most important organ and gives life to the whole body. Aromatherapy using odorous herbs such as rose, apple, quince, and saffron helps balance the heart temperament and improve cardiovascular disorders through their cardiotonic, anti-syncope, anti-depressant, and anti-arrhythmic properties. Conclusions: Based on Persian medicine references and recent findings in modern medicine, aromatherapy is an effective approach for relieving cardiovascular disorders. Considering these findings, it is suggested to include aromatherapy as a palliative measure for cardiovascular patients. It is also recommended that more clinical trials derived from Persian medicine references be conducted to value the effectiveness of aromatherapy for treating various cardiovascular ailments.
