Two Weeks of Lavender Tea Linked to Improved Mental Health in Misophonia Patients: RCT Suggests
Turkiye: Drinking lavender herbal tea twice daily for two weeks may help ease symptoms of misophonia and improve related emotional distress, a randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research has revealed. The study was conducted by Sevgi Koroglu Gokbel and Gulgun Durat from the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sakarya University, Türkiye.
Misophonia is a condition marked by an intense emotional and physiological response to specific everyday sounds, such as chewing or tapping. Individuals often experience anger, anxiety, and heightened stress reactions, which can significantly affect quality of life. Given lavender’s known calming and mood-supporting properties, the researchers explored whether lavender tea could offer a simple, non-pharmacological option for symptom relief.
The single-center, single-blind trial included 60 adults aged 18 years and older with a confirmed diagnosis of misophonia. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. The intervention group consumed 2 grams of lavender tea steeped in 300 mL of hot water for 10–15 minutes, twice daily, for 14 days. The control group did not receive any tea during the study period. The average age of participants was in the early twenties, and the majority were women in both groups.
Researchers assessed misophonia severity using the Misophonia Scale at baseline and again after 14 days. Secondary outcomes included measures of depression, anxiety, and anger using validated psychological scales, along with quality of life assessments.
The key findings of the study were as follows:
- After 14 days, the lavender tea group showed a significant reduction in misophonia symptoms, while the control group showed no meaningful change.
- Depression, anxiety, and trait anger scores decreased significantly among participants who consumed lavender tea.
- Quality of life improved only in the intervention group.
- The improvements in the lavender group were significantly greater than those observed in the control group.
- Lavender tea may have helped enhance coping ability and emotional regulation in individuals sensitive to trigger sounds.
However, the researchers cautioned that the findings should be interpreted carefully. Participants were not blinded to the intervention, and all outcomes were based on self-reported measures, raising the possibility of placebo or expectancy effects. The relatively short duration of the study and the single-center design also limit broader generalization.
Overall, the study suggests that lavender herbal tea could serve as a low-cost, accessible complementary approach for managing misophonia and associated emotional symptoms. The authors recommend larger, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials with longer follow-up to confirm these preliminary findings and better establish clinical effectiveness.
Reference:
Koroglu Gokbel, S., & Durat, G. (2026). The effect of lavender herbal tea on the mental health of individuals with misophonia: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 195, 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.01.028
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