Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common form of neuropathy. Conditions often linked with carpal tunnel syndrome include diabetes, thyroid function, fluid retention during pregnancy, high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and fractures or trauma to the wrist.
Repetitive wrist movements are a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome with examples that include:
– Manufacturing work
– Assembly line work
– Keyboarding occupations
– Construction work
Phytochemicals found in a variety of plants including lavender, cherries, green tea, turmeric have been shown to reduce inflammation. Read more about their role in reducing inflammaation here.
Linalool is a monoterpene alcohol found in many aromatic plants.
Linalool is a common many plants including:
– Lavender
– Rose
– Neroli
– Laurel
– Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Here are some of the reported benefits of linalool:
– Analgesic (i.e. pain relief)
– Decreasing inflammation
– Increased antioxidant levels
– Increasing antioxidant enzyme activity
– A recent study published the results of linalool in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome in the journal BMC Neurology.
Here are the details of the study evaluating linalool in carpal tunnel syndrome patients:
– Study design: Double blind placebo controlled study
– 37 Human subjects completed the study.
– Gender: Female
– Average age: 59 years old
– Linalool was dissolved in almond oil at a concentration of 1 %. A 0.5 mL aliquot of 1 % linalool in almond oil (or almond oil alone) was placed onto a gauze pad (3 × 2 cm2), and the pad was positioned five centimeters from the nose of each subject for 10 min, with the subject in a sitting position after deep breathing.
– Patients were evaluated before and after the study diagnosing CTS with electrodiagnostic tests.
Here are the results of linalool in carpel tunnel syndrome patients:
– Free radical scavenging activities was improved in patients with linalool
– Control patients Free radical scavenging improved from 16% to 27% in patients (*Determined to be statistically significant.)
– Blood pressure was reduced from 126 to 114 in the linalool group with carpal tunnel syndrome.
– Diastolic pressure was reduced from 79 to 74 in the linalool group with carpal tunnel syndrome
– Pulse decreased from 70 to 66
Take away message:
The results of this clinical trial suggest linalool may promote antioxidant activity in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. This mechanism is consistent with the idea that patients experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome have higher levels of oxidative stress as a result of chronic inflammation. Another study has shown that linalool improved symptoms in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Secondary benefits were observed with blood pressure and pulse rate, however, future studies will need to be designed appropriately to determine if these reductions in blood pressure and pulse are statistically significant.
Reference:
Seol GH, et al. Antioxidant activity of linalool in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. BMC Neurol. 2016; Volume 16:17.
Kim et al. J Orthop Res. 2010; Volume 28 (Issue 11): Pages 1463-8.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Arthritis, Clinical Trials, Diabetes, Essential oils, Inflammation, Pain