People with anxiety and depression tend to turn to natural alternative medicine treatments. The problem is that these treatments are either not scientifically proven or the effects are mild. The special olive flower, jasmine, has recently been discovered by researchers to serve as a powerful alternative medicine treatment for anxiety and depression.
What Happened in the Study
In a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers conducted a test to see the effects of scents on certain receptors. One of the receptors is GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) reduces the excitement of the nerves and regulates nervous system responses. Hundreds of different scents were tested both on caged mice and humans. It was discovered that GABA was triggered by certain fragrances that had a calm, relaxing, and soothing effect on the caged mice.
This study proved that jasmine fragrance worked the best by boosting the effect of GABA in calming down the nervous system. The effect was increased by over five times and is just as strong as antidepressants, sleeping pills, and sedatives. Because jasmine does not cause any side effects that medications have like dizziness, muscle weakness, depression, coordination problems, or hypotension, this study proved that natural methods can be more effective.
The Effects of Jasmine
When you inhale the molecules from jasmine, your body receives messages from the limbic system which is responsible for influencing the nervous system. You can have jasmine in your room as a plant to relieve your anxiety and depression systems or use it as an essential oil to put in a diffuser to catch the scent. As well as anxiety and depression, jasmine can also improve your focus, help with sleeping, balance hormones, and lower your risk of infection. This shows that the jasmine plant is multi-function and can help improve your quality of life.
Jasmine Not as a Medicine Replacement
While jasmine works wonders for your mental health, it should not be seen as a replacement to antidepressants or anxiety medication. Use this more as an additional supplement in addition to the medication that your doctor prescribed. If you cannot afford medication or have not been prescribed regular medication, jasmine is better to use compared to nothing. By looking at science-based studies on jasmine and trying out the scent, you will realize that jasmine is a great tool to use along with your medication to relieve your anxiety and your depressive symptoms.
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