TOPLINE:

Consumption of lavender herbal tea over 14 days was associated with alleviated symptoms in adult patients with misophonia, as well as reduced depression, anxiety, and anger scores, a new randomized controlled trial showed.

METHODOLOGY:

• A single-center, single-blind, randomized controlled trial conducted in 2024 included 60 adults in Türkiye with a confirmed diagnosis of misophonia, a condition characterized by heightened sensitivity to certain sounds.
• Half of the participants were randomly assigned to consume 2 g of lavender tea steeped in 300 mL of hot water for 10-15 minutes twice daily for 14 days (intervention group: mean age, 22 years; 90% women) or no tea (control group: mean age, 23.5 years; 93% women).
• The primary outcome was change in baseline and day 14 scores on the Misophonia Scale.
• Secondary outcomes included score changes on the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Anxiety Rating Scale, and Trait Anger Scale at baseline and on day 14.

TAKEAWAY:

• Misophonia symptoms at 14 days were significantly reduced in patients who consumed lavender herbal tea (P = .001), whereas there was no significant change in the control group.
• Significant reductions in scores of depression (P < .001), anxiety (P = .003), and anger (P < .006) were observed in the lavender tea group, but not in the control group.
• Additionally, only the intervention group had a significant change in quality of life scores (P = .02).

IN PRACTICE:

“Overall, these findings suggest that lavender could serve as a non-pharmacological alternative in the management of misophonia,” the investigators wrote. 

“Further placebo-controlled, double-blind studies with long-term follow-up are needed to ensure the generalizability of the results,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Sevgi Koroglu Gokbel, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Türkiye. It was published online on January 21 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

LIMITATIONS:

The study lacked participant blinding and relied on self-reported measures, which may have introduced expectancy bias and placebo effects. The sample consisted predominantly of young women, which limited generalizability. Additionally, the absence of an active control group and the additional contact received by the intervention group through daily reminders and phone calls made it difficult to attribute the results solely to the consumption of lavender tea. 

DISCLOSURES:

No funding information was provided for the study. The investigators reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.