Can Essential Oils Help During Cancer Treatment?

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, you may be curious about whether essential oils could help. While it’s important to know that essential oils cannot treat cancer, they’re sometimes used as a complementary therapy to help ease cancer symptoms and side effects of medication.

Essential oils should never replace medical treatment. And if you’re considering using them, it’s best to work with a qualified aromatherapist — preferably one experienced in supporting people with cancer — so you can use them safely alongside your prescribed care.

“People diagnosed with cancer may be dealing with stress that might be overwhelming, sleepless nights and fatigue, or nausea that’s coming on right now, so we can have them inhale deeply [with an essential oil] to help them feel better and get through treatment,” says Debra Reis, RN, a clinical aromatherapist and coordinator of the healing care program at the ProMedica Cancer Institute, where she helps people with cancer via aromatherapy and other complementary therapies

• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Chamomile
• Eucalyptus
• Peppermint
• Jasmine
• Lemon
• Marjoram
• Ylang-ylang
• Geranium
• Ginger
• Frankincense

Aromatherapists use a small number of these oils in supportive care for people with cancer. Reis says that, anecdotally, lavender (for relaxation), citrus oils such as lemon and orange (for boosting energy levels), peppermint (for nausea), and frankincense (for fatigue) are the most commonly used.

To date, there are no scientific studies showing that aromatherapy can cure or prevent cancer.

“Some essential oils may have anti-cancer effects as per laboratory studies on cancer cells, but I haven’t seen any studies looking at the anti-cancer effects of essential oils in humans,” says David Kiefer, MD, medical director for the Integrative Health Consult Clinic at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Despite a lack of clinical trials in the area, research on the topic is growing. A 2023 review of essential oils’ effect on cancer found that many compounds demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-apoptotic (cell death–inducing) effects in laboratory studies, which may help inhibit tumor growth.

Most of the human studies on essential oils for cancer have focused on helping improve quality of life, alleviate symptoms like anxiety and fatigue, and address side effects of treatment.

“There is some research for aromatherapy being beneficial for nausea, vomiting, and insomnia,” Dr. Kiefer says. “Other studies have looked at using essential oil mixtures on the skin to treat skin reactions that may occur from cancer treatments.”

Still, other studies have shown no benefits of aromatherapy. More research is needed to determine just how effective this approach is for helping people with cancer cope with the symptoms they experience.

Essential oils are generally safe for use if you have cancer, but they can pose side effects.

“For example, young children can develop breathing problems with aromatherapy with some essential oils,” Kiefer says. “Aromatherapy can make some people’s breathing worse, such as if you have asthma.”

• A skin reaction or allergic reaction
• Increased sun sensitivity (if applied before going in the sun)
• An unpleasant smell

According to Reis, before beginning essential oil therapy, you should consult with your oncology team, who may refer you to a certified aromatherapist in a clinical setting.

Ideally, this should be someone with experience supporting people with cancer. Reis also emphasizes that your oncology team and aromatherapist will take into account the possible side effects of aromatherapy, since cancer treatments may make your skin more sensitive, and essential oils can sometimes interact with medications.

Essential oils are not a one-size-fits-all therapy, and several factors need to be considered before use, Reis says. Age, pregnancy or breastfeeding, body weight, skin health, and overall health all play a role in determining which oils are appropriate and how they should be diluted.

People with estrogen-dependent cancers should also avoid oils with phytoestrogen-like activity, such as aniseed, clary sage, bitter fennel, myrtle, and star anise, as they may interfere with treatment or mimic estrogen in the body, Reis says. These risks highlight why essential oils must be chosen carefully for individuals with certain health conditions.

Essential oils are highly concentrated, so you should always dilute them before rubbing them on your skin. Oils are often diluted with a “carrier” oil, which is an oil processed from seeds, nuts, or trees to help spread the essential oil over a larger area of the skin.

Before applying an essential oil to your skin, test it on a small area and wait 24 hours to make sure you don’t have a reaction. If the skin becomes red or swollen, don’t use the oil again. This is why aromatherapy should be conducted under careful medical supervision.

Essential oils should also never be applied to broken, inflamed, or sensitive skin, which may already be more delicate due to chemotherapy or radiation treatments, Reis says.

Some other ways to use aromatherapy include:

• Place a few drops of essential oil in an oil burner or diffuser.
• Put 10 to 15 drops of oil in a 4-ounce spray bottle of water. Shake it and spray it around the room.
• Put 5 to 10 drops of essential oil in your bath, using a bath gel or salt (since oil and water don’t mix).
• Sprinkle 2 to 4 drops of essential oil onto a handkerchief or cloth and hold it to your nose. Take two to three deep breaths through your nose while closing your eyes to avoid irritation.

Reis says that aromatherapists in the field are also testing the delivery of scent through sticks, adhesive patches, and badges infused with essential oils, allowing patients to inhale the aroma for several hours throughout the day.

• Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts often used in aromatherapy to help ease cancer-related symptoms like stress, anxiety, nausea, and fatigue.
• Essential oils cannot treat or cure cancer, and should only be seen as a complementary therapy alongside conventional care.
• While some lab studies suggest essential oils may have anticancer properties, these findings haven’t been proven in humans, so essential oils should never be used as a substitute for medically recommended cancer treatments.
• If considering aromatherapy, it’s important to work with a qualified aromatherapist, ideally one experienced in supporting people with cancer, to ensure safe, appropriate use.