Apr 08, 2025

Aarushi Bhadury

Enjoy Essential Oils? They Could Have Unexpected Side-Effects

​Increased Heart Rate ​

Using essential oils every day for an hour or more might make your heart beat faster. A recent study found this link, suggesting these oils can affect your cardiovascular system in ways you might not expect.

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​Increased Blood Pressure ​

That same study also showed that regularly breathing in essential oils could raise your blood pressure. This is an important finding, as it indicates a potential impact on your circulatory health that isn't widely known.

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​Decreased Lung Function Rate ​

The research indicated that daily inhalation of essential oils was connected to a lower rate of how well your lungs work. This suggests that frequent exposure could negatively impact your respiratory system's efficiency.

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​Production of Formaldehyde​

When certain chemicals released by essential oils mix in the air, they can create another harmful substance called formaldehyde. This new pollutant can irritate your nose, throat, and lungs, even if the oil itself doesn't.

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​False Perception of Open Airways​

Some strong-smelling oils, like those with menthol, might trick you into thinking you're breathing better when you're not. This could be dangerous if it delays getting proper help for an asthma attack.

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​Potential Interactions with Medications ​

Because essential oils have complex mixtures of chemicals, they might interfere with how your regular medicines work in your body. Since there's little research on this, it's an unpredictable and concerning possibility.

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​Ineffective Disinfection​

While some oils can kill germs, this effect mostly happens right after they evaporate. Diffusing them for a long time likely won't keep your air clean as the germ-killing power fades quickly.

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​Masking Respiratory Emergency Signs​

Just like with asthma, the strong smells of essential oils could hide the worsening symptoms of COPD. This could prevent someone from realizing they need immediate medical attention for their breathing difficulties.

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​Increased Risk of Respiratory Distress​

Even if you dilute essential oils, inhaling them can still irritate the already damaged airways of people with COPD. This irritation can trigger serious breathing problems and make their condition worse.

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​Exposure to Unidentified Contaminants ​

Since essential oils aren't strictly regulated, you don't always know exactly what's in the bottle. There could be hidden chemicals or impurities that cause unexpected and harmful side effects you wouldn't anticipate.

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