Herbal snooze

Lavender oil could help older people suffering from insomnia, say researchers from the University of Leicester. They report in the Lancet that psychogeriatric patients who breathed in the smell of the oil spent the same amount of time asleep as they had previously when taking powerful tranquillisers.

The researchers argue that the oil could replace long-term drug treatment for insomnia, which often has serious side-effects.