Lemongrass Essential Oil Reduces Anxiety in Just Minutes, Study Finds

Clean, citrusy, and quietly invigorating, lemongrass essential oil carries a sense of renewal—like a breeze that clears the mind and resets the mood. Long used in traditional wellness practices to relieve tension and uplift energy, lemongrass now has scientific support for its calming influence on the nervous system.

A 2015 clinical study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine explored how inhaling lemongrass aroma affects acute anxiety in humans. Led by T.C. Goes and colleagues, the study asked 40 male volunteers to engage in a task designed to provoke mild psychological stress—followed by the inhalation of lemongrass essential oil, plain water, or tea tree oil, for several minutes.

Immediately after, the subjects' anxiety levels were tested via the Stroop Color-Word Test. The researchers took into account how the volunteers reported feeling, as well as their physical responses (including heart rate and muscle tension) before, during, and after the test.

What they found was that those who smelled the lemongrass oil had lower levels of anxiety and tension compared to those in the control and placebo groups. Interestingly, all volunteers remained alert and responsive, simply less tense. It suggests that lemongrass doesn’t dull the senses—it restores emotional balance while keeping the mind clear.

The findings echo what many have intuitively known: lemongrass offers a rare balance of clarity and calm. Its aroma lifts without overstimulating, grounds without weighing down. This makes it ideal in moments of heightened emotion—before a big conversation, during transitions, or when anxiety feels just beneath the surface.

Whether diffused through the home, inhaled during a pause in the day, or blended into a calming massage oil, lemongrass essential oil offers more than refreshment—it invites a return to emotional ease, one clear-minded breath at a time.

Source: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine