Lavender Oil Massage Helpful for Infantile Colic

Massage with aromatherapy oils is used for a variety of conditions and is generally extremely safe.  Turkish researchers reporting in the International Journal of Nursing Practice, recently looked at the effects of lavender oil massage on infantile colic.

Researchers recruited 40 infants between 2 and 6 weeks of age all with normal development and growth.  All infants in the study showed signs of colic.  Those in the treatment group received abdominal massage of lavender oil by their mothers and the control group received no intervention.  The infants were assessed once weekly for a total of five assessments.  Using the length of time that the infants cried during the week as a measure researchers found significant decreases in the lavender massage group vs. the control group.