Aromatic research at the crossroads: Time to set the course

Marian Reven, also known as Marni, is a Professor of Nursing at West Virginia University, USA. She is an advanced graduate of Aromahead Institute and completed teacher training in aromatherapy at the Aromatic Wisdom Institute. Marni has a passion for lifelong learning and discovery and through her PhD she will add fresh perspective to the body of knowledge related to aromatic interventions.

Marni believes that aromatic and essential oil research is at a crossroads. At present scientific, medical, and policy-making entities struggle to translate research involving aromatic compounds and essential oils into practice. Much of what is published is lacking detail, clarity, and quality. Out of the disillusionment, the Aromatic Research Quality Appraisal Taskforce (the ARQAT)  was born. The goal of ARQAT is to create a guide/tool for all who conduct or refer to research on aromatics. 

The Transparent Reporting for Essential oil & Aroma Therapeutic Studies (TREATS) tool is still under development. So far it appears to be useful for the identification of inadequate reporting of the aromatic elements of aromatic healthcare and aromatherapy studies. Our inter-rater reliability testing indicate that the tool is robust, and that the results can be trusted.