Sniff away migraine pain? study tests essential oils
NCT ID NCT07493434
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether inhaling lavender, peppermint, or a mix of both can change how sensitive people with migraine are to pressure pain. Two hundred adults with migraine will inhale one of the oils or a control solution for 15 minutes. Researchers measure pain thresholds before and after to see if the oils make a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- essential oils (lavender, peppermint, or both)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to ease migraine-related pain sensitivity.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only one session, so results may not translate to real-world migraine relief. The effect may be small or no different from a placebo.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18-65 years * Diagnosis of episodic or chronic migraine according to the Internactional Classification of Headache Disorders (ICDH-3) * History of migraine for at least 1 year * Ability to understand and provide informed consent * Participants currently using or not using migraine preventive medication Exclusion Criteria: * Severe acute circulatory disorders * Diabetes melitus * Uncontrolled arterial hypertension * Fribromyagia * Anosmia or hyposmia * Known allergy or hypersensitivity to essential oils or their components * Pregnancy or breastfeeding
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Intitute of Psychiatry- Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo
São Paulo, São Paulo, 11, Brazil
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