Author(s)

Hiroyuki Kikukawa^1,2*, Seigo Koura³, Matsuyo Kuge⁴, Kunioki Miwa⁵, Masayuki Yao⁵

¹Curator, Board of Education of Tamba city, Hyogo, Japan.
²Graduate School of Landscape Design and Management, University of Hyogo, Japan.
³Faculty of Rehabilitation Science, Nishikyusyu University, Kanzaki, Japan.
⁴Elderly Citizens’ Day Service Center Sumire, Tamba, Hyogo, Japan.
⁵Kadono Co., Ltd.Tamba, Hyogo, Japan.

Although there are limited means of delaying the cognitive decline in patients with dementia, aromatherapy contributes to alleviating the pain manifested through peripheral symptoms and psychological expression of dementia as part of dementia control. However, there are no studies that comprehensively verify the stress reduction effect, cognitive function, vital signs, etc. in the elderly requiring long-term care. In this study, we focused on Himekuromoji (Lindera lancea ), which grows naturally in Japan and has no verification cases and decided to verify the possibility of aromatherapy using that essential oil. As a result, olfactory stimulation by Lindera lancea aroma stabilizes the mood and emotions of the client and suppressed the rise in blood pressure. In sentiment analysis, four emotions were quantified using a wearable device. Although the effects of worker emotions on labor productivity have already been elucidated using the same device as in this study, emotional quantification by aromatherapy intervention is unprecedented. There were no significant differences in the four emotions depending on the intervention period and test section, but we were able to capture changes in emotions due to differences in recreational activities. In addition, it is considered that the client was able to spend about 30% of the activity time in a relaxed manner. It was expected that this aromatherapy as complementary and alternative medicine could contribute to the good emotional control of all the people involved. The COVID 19 pandemic has led to restrictions on human-to-human interaction, so the importance of emotional control represented by stress control is increasing for all humankind. Therefore, it was expected that this aromatherapy as complementary and alternative medicine could contribute to the good emotional control of all the people involved.

Pulse, Blood Pressure, Salivary Cortisol, MMSE-J, Day Service Center

Kikukawa, H. , Koura, S. , Kuge, M. , Miwa, K. and Yao, M. (2021) Effects of Aromatherapy of Himekuromoji (Lindera lancea), Essential Oil on Vital and Stress, Emotion and Cognitive Function of the Elderly in Need of Care. Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 9, 83-97. doi: 10.4236/ojtr.2021.92007.