The effect of Lavender on pain and healing of episiotomy: A systematic review.

<bold>Introduction: </bold>Some studies have investigated the effect of Lavender on pain and the healing of wounds. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of Lavender on pain and wound healing of episiotomy.<bold>Methods: </bold>The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science (all databases from inception until February 2020) were searched. Data were extracted from eligible studies by two review authors individually. Our inclusion criteria were full-text interventional studies published in English or any other languages. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.3. The protocol of this systematic review was registered in PROSPERO with the reference number CRD42020140623.<bold>Results: </bold>Our search found six trials involving 415 participants. The use of Lavender could significantly reduce pain in women with episiotomy (95 % CI: -1.06 - -0.32). The use of Lavender has significantly improved the healing of episiotomy compared to the placebo (95 % CI: -2.13 - -1.34). In all studies, pain and healing of episiotomy were evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, Approximation (REEDA) scale respectively.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>This review showed that the use of Lavender (in any form) in postpartum has a significant effect on pain relief and healing of episiotomy wound. All six studies that were included in this systematic review were from developing countries. A high level of heterogeneity was observed in the effect of Lavender on pain but not the healing of the episiotomy. Therefore, the results should be considered with caution. Using Lavender may be considered for wound healing of episiotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]