Essential Oil Inhalation on Blood Pressure and Salivary Cortisol Levels in Prehypertensive and Hypertensive Subjects

Table 5

The effects of essential oil inhalation on ambulatory BP among the groups.

BP	Group	Pre-test	Post-test	Difference; (posttest and pretest)	𝐹	𝑃
SBP
	Aromatherapy; (𝑛=28)	140.6 ± 10.56	129.9 ± 10.81	−10.77 ± 8.95^a
Day time*	Placebo; (𝑛=27)	132.6 ± 7.91	136.0 ± 9.48	3.40 ± 8.48^b	16.2	<.001
	Control; (𝑛=28)	136.8 ± 12.31	136.1 ± 10.79	−0.71 ± 10.96^b
	Aromatherapy; (𝑛=28)	121.1 ± 15.33	118.5 ± 13.73	−2.61 ± 10.57
Night time**	Placebo; (𝑛=27)	116.4 ± 13.46	115.5 ± 15.76	−0.88 ± 14.44	1.9	.160
	Control; (𝑛=28)	114.8 ± 11.61	118.7 ± 11.41	3.86 ± 13.60
DBP
	Aromatherapy; (𝑛=28)	90.5 ± 9.12	83.3 ± 8.01	−7.11 ± 7.13^a
Day time*	Placebo; (𝑛=27)	84.0 ± 5.80	85.6 ± 8.81	1.60 ± 8.95^b	6.5	.002
	Control; (𝑛=28)	87.8 ± 9.41	87.3 ± 8.91	−0.44 ± 11.50^b
	Aromatherapy; (𝑛=28)	74.6 ± 8.82	75.4 ± 8.47	0.77 ± 7.60
Night time**	Placebo; (𝑛=27)	72.1 ± 8.52	72.3 ± 11.20	0.23 ± 10.13	0.2	.783
	Control; (𝑛=28)	71.5 ± 8.50	73.4 ± 8.24	1.96 ± 10.18

Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation.
Different superscripts (a, or b) indicate a significant difference (Tukey’s test; 𝑃<.05).
*Daytime BP: blood pressure measured from 6 AM to 9:30 PM.
**Night time BP: blood pressure measured from 10 PM to 5:30 AM.