Rosewood

In Brazilian Amazonian folk medicine, rosewood is used for the nerves. It is valued as a sedative ^{1Reference 1de Almeida RN et al. · 2009AnimalRosewood oil induces sedation and inhibits compound action potential in rodents — animal modelView study →}, and the leaf oil is used for its sedative, anticonvulsant and antidepressant effects ^{3Reference 3Dos Santos ÉRQ et al. · 2018AnimalLinalool-rich essential oils from the Amazon display antidepressant-type effect in rodents — animal modelView study →}.

The oil has been a perfumery ingredient since the late nineteenth century, prized as a natural source of linalool, and was once used in fragrant soaps ^{19,24Reference 19Amazonas DR et al. · 2020Chemical and genotypic variations in Aniba rosaeodora — chemistryView study →Reference 24Useful Tropical Plants (FernAniba rosaeodora Ducke — habit, habitat, range, harvest and uses — species databaseView study →}.

In aromatherapy it is applied to the skin for acne, dermatitis, minor wounds and general skin care, and inhaled for headaches, nervous tension and nausea ^{24Reference 24Useful Tropical Plants (FernAniba rosaeodora Ducke — habit, habitat, range, harvest and uses — species databaseView study →}.

Rosewood oil inhibits both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in vitro. In one study it acted synergistically with the antibiotic gentamicin against all fifteen strains tested, most strongly against Acinetobacter baumannii (FIC index 0.11) ^{5Reference 5Rosato A et al. · 2010In vitroIn vitro synergistic antibacterial action of gentamicin and essential oils — in vitroView study →}.

A 2024 study characterised the oil by GC-MS and found a minimum inhibitory concentration of 4 mg/mL against Salmonella. Given as a preventive, the oil reduced injury and bacterial colonisation in infected mice and chicks ^{6Reference 6Wang L et al. · 2024In vitroProtective effects and mechanisms of rosewood essential oil against Salmonella infection — in vitro and animal modelView study →}.

A 2026 screen of twenty essential oils against Escherichia coli placed rosewood among the most active. In that analysis, linalool and α-terpineol were linked to moderate antibacterial activity ^{8Reference 8Kokalj Ladan M et al. · 2026In vitroMultivariate characterization of essential oils for antibacterial activity — in vitroView study →}.

MICs are moderate rather than strong, and most of the work is in vitro.

Rosewood leaf oil, 88.6% linalool, produced antidepressant-type activity in rats in the forced-swim and splash tests at the higher of two doses. Two other Amazonian linalool-rich oils did the same, and the effect was attributed to linalool. Locomotion and memory were not affected ^{3Reference 3Dos Santos ÉRQ et al. · 2018AnimalLinalool-rich essential oils from the Amazon display antidepressant-type effect in rodents — animal modelView study →}.

In a 2024 study, intranasal rosewood oil (35 mg/kg daily for 28 days) reversed the emotional impairments caused by binge-like ethanol exposure in adolescent female rats. It raised BDNF, S100B and glutathione in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and prevented the rise in inflammatory cytokines ^{4Reference 4Dos Santos ÉRQ et al. · 2024AnimalLinalool-rich rosewood essential oil mitigates emotional and neurochemical impairments from ethanol binge exposure in female rats — animal modelView study →}.

Both studies come from the same research group, and there is no human data.

In the Salmonella study, rosewood oil reduced the inflammatory response during infection by inhibiting pro-inflammatory pathways ^{6Reference 6Wang L et al. · 2024In vitroProtective effects and mechanisms of rosewood essential oil against Salmonella infection — in vitro and animal modelView study →}.

A 2026 study loaded rosewood oil into chitosan wound-dressing membranes. The membranes lowered nitrite and TNF-α output by LPS-stimulated macrophages in cell culture ^{17Reference 17Buriti BMAB et al. · 2026In vitroAnti-inflammatory effect of chitosan membranes containing rosewood essential oil — in vitroView study →}.

Purified linalool reduced TNF-α and leukocyte migration in carrageenan-induced peritonitis in rodents ^{11Reference 11Quintans-Júnior LJ et al. · 2013AnimalQuintans-Júnior LJ, et al. (2013). β-Cyclodextrin-complexed (–)-linalool produces antinociceptive effect in experimental pain protocols — animal model. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23692366/View study →}.

The direct in vivo evidence for the oil comes from an antibacterial study, and the strongest anti-inflammatory data are for purified linalool.

Rosewood is used in Brazilian folk medicine as a sedative. In mice, linalool-rich oil at 100–300 mg/kg shortened the time to fall asleep and lengthened pentobarbital-induced sleep. On an isolated rat nerve, the oil at 100 µg/mL cut the compound action potential by almost 100% within 30 minutes, which points to lowered neuronal excitability ^{1Reference 1de Almeida RN et al. · 2009AnimalRosewood oil induces sedation and inhibits compound action potential in rodents — animal modelView study →}.

In chick retina, the oil and linalool both inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation. Blocking rises in cAMP protects against seizures in several epilepsy models ^{2Reference 2Sampaio LFS et al. · 2012In vitroLinalool from rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora Ducke) oil inhibits adenylate cyclase in the retina — in vitro mechanismView study →}.

Gap: Single-laboratory rodent and tissue work, at high doses; none of it used skin application or inhalation.

In a comparison of four Lauraceae oils against 17 micromycetes, including food-spoilage fungi and plant and animal pathogens, rosewood oil showed fungistatic and fungicidal activity. Linalool was its main component ^{9Reference 9Simić A et al. · 2004In vitroChemical composition of some Lauraceae essential oils and their antifungal activities — in vitroView study →}.

Cinnamon oil, rich in trans-cinnamaldehyde, was the most active oil in the same panel. The work is in vitro only.

Intravenous linalool-rich rosewood oil produced dose-dependent, two-phase falls in blood pressure and heart rate in rats. The rapid first phase was a vago-vagal reflex from the lung’s vagal afferents: it disappeared after vagotomy, and methylatropine abolished it in conscious rats ^{13Reference 13de Siqueira RJB et al. · 2014AnimalLinalool-rich rosewood oil induces vago-vagal bradycardic and depressor reflex in rats — animal modelView study →}.

The oil also fully relaxed pre-contracted aortic rings, so the second phase appears to be a direct vasodilator action ^{13Reference 13de Siqueira RJB et al. · 2014AnimalLinalool-rich rosewood oil induces vago-vagal bradycardic and depressor reflex in rats — animal modelView study →}.

This is a single study using intravenous dosing, a route unrelated to skin application or inhalation.

Rosewood oil killed Aedes albopictus mosquito larvae, with LC₅₀ values of 40.2 ppm at 24 hours and 10.4 ppm at 48 hours. It inhibited the larvae’s acetylcholinesterase by 78.8% at 100 ppm ^{15Reference 15Manngaihsiam R et al. · 2025In vitroAniba rosaeodora essential oil as a potent, eco-friendly larvicide against Aedes albopictus — in vitro/larvalView study →}.

An older study found rosewood oil among the strongest wood oils for immobilising house-dust mites. In the same study, linalool and α-terpineol, tested as ingredients of Hinoki oil, had strong mite-immobilising effects ^{16Reference 16Ando Y et al. · 1994In vitroBreeding control and immobilizing effects of wood microingredients on house dust mites — in vitroView study →}.

This work is relevant to pest control rather than to human use.

(–)-Linalool, the main rosewood constituent, showed strong antinociceptive activity in the acetic-acid writhing, formalin and hot-plate tests in rodents, pointing to both peripheral and central mechanisms. The effect was stronger when linalool was complexed with β-cyclodextrin to improve its stability ^{11Reference 11Quintans-Júnior LJ et al. · 2013AnimalQuintans-Júnior LJ, et al. (2013). β-Cyclodextrin-complexed (–)-linalool produces antinociceptive effect in experimental pain protocols — animal model. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23692366/View study →}.

This was tested with purified linalool, not rosewood oil.

Purified (–)-linalool, and more so its β-cyclodextrin complex, protected against acute and chronic gastric ulcers in rodents ^{12Reference 12da Silva FV et al. · 2016Animalda Silva FV, et al. (2016). β-Cyclodextrin enhanced gastroprotective effect of (–)-linalool in gastric lesion models — animal model. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27629579/View study →}.

Gap: Constituent-level and rodent-only; rosewood oil is not taken internally.

Rosewood oil selectively killed human epidermoid carcinoma cells (A431) and immortalised HaCaT keratinocytes, which model an early stage of skin cancer, while having only a minor effect on normal keratinocytes. It triggered reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial depolarisation and caspase-dependent apoptosis ^{10Reference 10Sœur J et al. · 2011In vitroSelective cytotoxicity of Aniba rosaeodora essential oil towards epidermoid cancer cells through induction of apoptosis — in vitroView study →}.

This is a single in vitro study, with no animal or human data.

In an antiviral screen of Brazilian medicinal plants, an Aniba rosaeodora extract gave the best result, inhibiting avian metapneumovirus growth by 90% at 2.5 µg/mL when added during viral replication ^{14Reference 14Kohn LK et al. · 2012In vitroIn vitro antiviral activity of Brazilian plants against bovine herpesvirus type 5 and avian metapneumovirus — in vitroView study →}.

This is one in vitro study against a veterinary virus, and the active compounds were not identified.

Skin allergy. Linalool oxidises in air to form hydroperoxides, which are potent contact sensitisers ^{21Reference 21Schubert S et al. · 2023ObservationalPatch testing hydroperoxides of limonene and linalool in consecutive patients (IVDK) — observationalView study →}. In 5,773 Swedish patients with dermatitis, 7.0% were allergic to oxidised linalool, and the rate was rising ^{22Reference 22Sukakul T et al. · 2022ObservationalContact allergy to oxidized linalool and oxidized limonene: patch testing in consecutive patients — observationalView study →}. In a German series of 5,511 patients, 8.8% reacted, although most reactions were weak and the test preparation may cause some false positives ^{21Reference 21Schubert S et al. · 2023ObservationalPatch testing hydroperoxides of limonene and linalool in consecutive patients (IVDK) — observationalView study →}. Keep the oil sealed, cool and dark, patch-test before use, and dilute it to about 1–2% in a carrier oil.

Internal use. The oil inhibits acetylcholinesterase in mosquito larvae ^{15Reference 15Manngaihsiam R et al. · 2025In vitroAniba rosaeodora essential oil as a potent, eco-friendly larvicide against Aedes albopictus — in vitro/larvalView study →}. Together with the lack of internal safety data, this is a reason not to take it by mouth.

Interactions. No human drug-interaction study exists. In the laboratory the oil worked together with the antibiotic gentamicin against bacteria ^{5Reference 5Rosato A et al. · 2010In vitroIn vitro synergistic antibacterial action of gentamicin and essential oils — in vitroView study →}.