The Effectiveness of Juniper and Thyme Essential Oils in Reducing the Physiological Symptoms of Test Anxiety in Medical Students

Year 2026, Volume: 16 Issue: 1, 256 - 267, 23.01.2026

Gülbahar Böyük Özcan , Bülent Bayraktar , Ümmü Gülşen Bozok , Tuğçe Orkun Erkiliç

https://doi.org/10.31020/mutftd.1797534

Abstract

Objective: Medical students struggle with exam anxiety, which negatively affects cognitive and academic performance. Aromatherapy has become popular as an alternative to pharmacological treatments. This study examines how juniper and thyme essential oils psychophysiologically affect undergraduate students' exam anxiety. Juniper and thyme aroma inhalation was tested on asprosin, cyclic guanosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB), cortisol, and exam anxiety in students taking exams.
Method: A random sample of 80 healthy students aged 18-25 from the Faculty of Medicine was collected during final exams. Participants were their own controls, and saliva was collected before and after aromatherapy. Saliva samples were tested for asprosin, CREB, and cortisol using ELISA. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and body temperature were monitored before and after aroma inhalation.
Findings: According to the findings of this study, juniper and thyme aromatherapy were effective in increasing the average saliva levels of Asprosin, CREB, and cortisol hormones, with the most significant decrease observed in the groups receiving juniper aromatherapy (p<0.001). Juniper aromatherapy affected Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) (p<0.05) but did not affect Heart Rate (HR), Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation (SPO2), or temperature (p>0.05). Thyme aromatherapy did not affect SBP, DBP, HR, SPO2, or temperature.
Conclusion: The limbic system, which controls memory and emotions, is linked to smell. Our study has provided original evidence that inhaling scents affects Asprosin, CREB, cortisol, and other physiological indicators in university students during exams, and offers supportive findings for alleviating exam anxiety.

Keywords

Stress , Aromatherapy , Asprosin , cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) , Cortisol.

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval (08/07/2024/Decision No. 98) and institutional approval were obtained from Ankara Medipol University non-invasive ethical committee in Turkey. This study was conducted after re-ceiving ethical approval from Ankara Medipol University non-invasive ethical committee of Medical Sci-ences with the ethical code E-81477236-604.01.01-3329, dated July 07, 2024. The participants were in-formed about the study in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and their consent was obtained via the informed consent form. Participants are assured of the opportunity to withdraw from the study at any time, as well as the confidentiality of their personal information. All approaches were executed in compliance with pertinent rules and legislation.

Tıp Fakültesi Öğrencilerinde Sınav Kaygısının Fizyolojik Belirtilerini Azaltmada Ardıç ve Kekik Uçucu Yağlarının Etkinliği

Abstract

Amaç: Tıp öğrencileri, bilişsel ve akademik performansı olumsuz etkileyen sınav kaygısıyla mücadele etmektedir. Aromaterapi, farmakolojik tedavilere alternatif olarak popüler hale gelmektedir. Bu çalışma, ardıç ve kekik esansiyel yağlarının lisans öğrencilerinin sınav kaygısını psikofizyolojik olarak nasıl etkilediğini incelemektedir. Sınavlara giren öğrencilerde ardıç ve kekik aroması inhalasyonu asprosin, siklik guanozin monofosfat yanıt elementi bağlayıcı protein (CREB), kortizol ve sınav kaygısı üzerinde test edilmiştir.
Yöntem: Tıp Fakültesi'nden 18-25 yaş arası 80 sağlıklı öğrencinin rastgele bir örneği, final sınavları sırasında toplanmıştır. Katılımcılar kendi kontrolleriydi ve aromaterapiden önce ve sonra tükürük alındı. Tükürük örnekleri ELISA kullanılarak Asprosin, CREB ve kortizol için test edildi. Kalp hızı, oksijen satürasyonu, sistolik basınç, diyastolik basınç ve vücut sıcaklığı aroma inhalasyonundan önce ve sonra izlenmiştir.
Bulgular: Bu çalışmanın bulgularına göre, ardıç ve kekik aromaterapisinin tükürük ortalama Asprosin, CREB ve kortizol hormon düzeylerini artırmada etkili olduğu, en anlamlı düşüşün ise ardıç aromaterapisi alan gruplarda olduğu tespit edildi (p<0.001). Ardıç aromaterapi uygulaması Sistolik Kan Basıncı (SKB) ve Diyastolik Kan Basıncı (DKB)'yi etkilemiş (p<0.05) ancak Kalp Atım Hızı (KAH), Periferik Kapiller Oksijen Satürasyonu (SPO2) veya sıcaklığı etkilememiştir (p>0.05). Kekik aromaterapisi SBP, DBP, HR, SPO2 veya sıcaklığı etkilememiştir (p>0.05).
Sonuç: Hafıza ve duyguları kontrol eden limbik sistem koku ile bağlantılıdır. Çalışmamız, koku inhalasyonunun sınav sırasında üniversite öğrencilerinde Asprosin, CREB, kortizol ve diğer fizyolojik göstergeleri etkilediğine dair özgün kanıtlar ortaya koymuştur ve sınav kaygısının giderilmesinde destekleyici bulgular sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Stres , Aromaterapi , Asprosin , cAMP yanıt elementi bağlayıcı protein (CREB) , Kortizol.

Ethical Statement

Etik kurul onayı (08/07/2024/Karar No. 98) ve kurum onayı Türkiye'de Ankara Medipol Üniversitesi non-invaziv etik kurulundan alınmıştır. Bu çalışma, Ankara Medipol Üniversitesi Girişimsel Olmayan Tıp Bilimleri Etik Kurulu'ndan 07 Temmuz 2024 tarih ve E-81477236-604.01.01-3329 sayılı etik kod ile yeniden etik onay alındıktan sonra gerçekleştirilmiştir. Katılımcılar Helsinki Bildirgesi'ne uygun olarak çalışma hakkında bilgilendirilmiş ve onamları bilgilendirilmiş onam formu aracılığıyla alınmıştır. Katılımcılara istedikleri zaman çalışmadan çekilebilecekleri ve kişisel bilgilerinin gizliliği konusunda güvence verilmiştir. Tüm yaklaşımlar ilgili kurallara ve mevzuata uygun olarak yürütülmüştür.

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