The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of aromatherapy massage on constipation in the elderly.

This study for 10 day, employed a randomized control group pretest-posttest design. The experimental group received abdominal massage using essential oils with Rosemary, Lemon, and Peppermint, and the control group received a placebo massage. To evaluate the effect of aromatherapy, the degree of constipation was measured using the CAS(constipation assessment scale) and the number of bowel movements per week. Data was analyzed by repeated measures of ANOVA using the SPSS program.

The score of CAS of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group. In addition the average number of bowel movements in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group. The effect of aromatherapy lasted 2 weeks after treatment, while the placebo effect lasted 7~10 days after treatment.

The finding of this study showed that aromatherapy helps relieve constipation in the elderly.