04/26/2026
From Dr Scott Johnson
(They REMOVED the smell 🤯🤯🤯)
"I'm often asked what essential oils can support vagal tone.
A clinical study on lavender EO looked at heart rate variability (HRV)—one of the most direct biological markers of vagal tone and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity.
Here’s what matters:
- HRV = a real-time window into your vagus nerve
- Higher HRV = stronger vagal tone + greater resilience
- And lavender? It moved the needle.
Even more compelling, this study removed smell entirely. No aroma. No psychological expectation. Just the body’s physiological response. And still, lavender increased parasympathetic activity, as measured by HRV.
This means the effect isn’t just relaxing because it smells good. It’s a biological shift toward regulation.
And here’s the part most people miss: These changes were observed during a single 10-minute application. The nervous system responded rapidly in real-time.
If HRV is a direct proxy for vagal tone, then supporting HRV means supporting:
• Stress resilience
• Emotional regulation
• Recovery capacity
And lavender is emerging as a promising solution that can help facilitate that shift quickly."
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X241275321
