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Keywords: Spikenard, essential oil, restlessness, terminal agitation, distress, end-of-life care
Project team: Caroline Hales, Beth Kelso, Mezzi Franklin, Jane O'Shea, Murray Fletcher and Margaret Beck
Duration: November 2014 - June 2016
Project background
This particular project took place at the North Devon Hospice, a hospice containing a seven-bed inpatient unit where approximately 60% of patients are admitted for symptom management and 40% for end-of-life care. The complementary therapy manager at the hospice attended a national conference for complementary therapists where she heard a presentation that claimed the essential oil spikenard could, among many other things, help to alleviate symptoms of terminal agitation in the dying. Spikenard is a herb of the valerian family and is commonly used in Eastern and Ayurvedic medicine. It is classified as a hypnosedative and claims to soothe anxieties, installing a great sense of calm by harmonising the physical, emotional and spiritual, and helping people to let go of fear and old emotional wounds.
Aim
The aim of the project was to establish whether spikenard essential oil could be used as an effective means of managing end-of-life agitation and distress, thus reducing the need for sedative medication to calm patients and helping them to make the best of their remaining time. To achieve this, the objectives identified were...