10/20/2026
I thought this was an interesting study to share with our Onederings friends.
Researchers in Taiwan studied 52 patients recovering in intensive care after liver cancer surgery. Those who received lavender aromatherapy along with their regular medical care had better sleep scores, less anxiety, and lower pain scores than those receiving regular care alone.
What interested me was how simple it was. They used two drops of lavender essential oil on a gauze pad, had patients breathe near it for ten breaths, and then attached it to their collar overnight. They did this for two nights.
Now, this was a small study, and the patients weren’t randomly assigned to the two groups. So we need more research before drawing firm conclusions. But I like seeing researchers actually test whether lavender can help people feel more comfortable, especially during something as difficult as recovering from major surgery.
An encouraging finding, and one worth following.
Here’s the study, published in Supportive Care in Cancer:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-11184-x
A quasi-experimental study from Taiwan found that inhaled lavender aromatherapy improved sleep quality and reduced pain and anxiety in ICU patients recovering from liver cancer surgery.