Efficacy of Lemon and Lemongrass Essential Oils on Stress among Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Context: Essential oils act as alternative medicine and have great therapeutic benefits. Oils derived from Lemon (Citrus limon) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) have great importance for stress reduction. No holistic studies compare their chemical composition, essential oil constituents, and efficacy in stress control. Parents who have children with intellectual disabilities (ID) go through the highest levels of stress, which can lead to significant psychological and physical health problems. Therefore, there is a great need for effective stress management interventions that are non-pharmacological. If widely spread interventions work, it can lead to reduced chemical usage rates.

Aim: The study's objective was to assess the effects of Lemon (Citrus limon) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oils, singly and in combination, on stress and biomotor variables among parents of children with ID.

Methods: Quasi-experimental design incorporating a pre-test and post-test control group was conducted. Aromatherapy singly with Lemon, singly with Lemongrass, a blend of both oils individually mixed, a placebo, and the base oil (Sweet almond oil) were given for eight weeks by drops onto an absorbent paper attached to their clothing collar while the parents sat in the shed with fan and fresh air. A purposive sampling method was employed in identifying the participants and community health promoters in identified wards of Kakamega County, Kenya contacted the target households and a simple random formation of groups was employed. Two hundred twenty-eight parents (N=57 per group) completed the study exposures from 250 with a 91.2% response; follow-up rates were maintained at 95%. Stress indicator tools were used to measure stress, and separate blood pressure and heart rate were measured. The essential oils were subject to phytochemical analysis through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA with the Tukey HSD post hoc test (continuous variables).

Results: The three aromatherapy exposures, singly and in combination (Lemongrass, Lemon, and a blend of both Lemon and Lemongrass), significantly reduced physical stress, promoted sleep, and improved the emotion of the parents of children with ID (p < 0.0001). A blend of both oils reduced both systolic blood pressure and heart rate. All three aromatherapy interventions (Lemongrass, Lemon, and Blended) demonstrated statistically significant decreases in Systolic Blood Pressure and Heart Rate post-intervention compared to the pre-intervention (p < 0.0001 for both outcomes). Significant reduction was highest for systolic blood pressure (-14.0; p < 0.0001) and heart rate (-5.3; p < 0.0001) for the blend group (a blend of both Lemon and Lemongrass). There were no changes in the control group. Conclusion: Lemon essential oil and Lemongrass essential oil, singly and combined, reduced stress among parents of children with ID. The blend of both oils offers the best stress reduction benefits and cardiovascular health. This study recommends that parent of children with intellectual disabilities use Lemongrass and Lemon essential oils to reduce stress and improve systolic blood pressure and heart rate since it is natural, safe, cost-effective, and readily available.