My mom has been gone for 14 years now and the scent of her perfume still creates vivid memories and triggers strong feelings. Scents not only bring memories to life, they can be healing, soothing, and motivating. Aromatherapy is free of harmful side effects.
These scents work for pain reduction:

• Ylang-ylang (general pain)
• Rose (general pain)
• Peppermint (tension headache pain)
• Green apple (migraine pain)
• Clary sage (muscle pain)
• Eucalyptus (muscle pain)
• Chamomile (muscle pain)

These scents are for mental health:

• Ylang-ylang (depression)
• Geranium (depression)
• Jasmine (depression)
• Sandalwood (depression)
• Cary sage (anxiety)
• Nutmeg (anxiety)
• Pine (anxiety)
• Lemon (mental fatigue)
• Rosemary (mental fatigue)
• Orange (mental fatigue)

Scents that increase mental alertness:

• Peppermint
• Lilly-of-the-valley

Scents work because the olfactory bulb (where the smell center is located in the brain) is part of the limbic system, which is part of the emotional part of the brain. Scents can increase alpha (induces calm) or beta (associated with alertness and positive moods) brain waves. The hippocampus (the part of the brain that stores memories) is connected to the limbic system, so it can be stimulated by scents.