Rose oil, an essential oil from damask rose petals, is inhaled mostly to ease stress, pain and poor sleep. Low-quality trials show short-lived calming, less brief pain and better self-rated sleep; topical or oral use has not reliably eased pain. Main risks: skin allergy, and headache or nausea with heavy inhalation; many products are diluted or substituted. For risk-aware adults, briefly inhaled authentic oil offers modest benefit at small risk. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score) | ≤5, the good-sleeper cutoff | Expected to change |
| State anxiety (Spielberger state scale) | No established target; change from own baseline is tracked | Expected to change |
| Blood pressure (home, seated) | No established target; change from own baseline is tracked | Expected to change; safety check with blood-pressure drugs |
| Skin patch test reaction | No established target; any redness, swelling or itching at 48 hours counts as positive | Safety check: positive result stops topical use |
| ALT (alanine aminotransferase, a liver enzyme), paired with AST (aspartate aminotransferase) | 7–56 U/L (standard reference range) | Safety check for oral use: a rise stops oral use |
| Total testosterone (men, oral use) | 264–916 ng/dL (standard reference range) | Expected to change with oral use |
| Prolactin (women, oral use) | 4.8–23.3 ng/mL (standard reference range) | Expected to change with oral use |
Cadence: Anxiety rating before and after the first few sessions; sleep score at 2 and 4 weeks; weekly blood pressure in the first month with blood-pressure medication; oral courses: liver enzymes and hormones at 8 weeks, then every 6–12 months