Latest health news: The lavender pill that can calm your nerves and an instant test for endometriosis

Calming influence: Lavender

Taking a pill containing lavender can help reduce anxiety.
In an Austrian study, over 75 per cent of patients given the treatment showed improvement, compared with just half of those on a placebo treatment.
The patients slept better and for longer - their general mental and physical health also improved, said the reseachers, adding that the pill didn't cause 'any unwanted sedative' or other side-effects.
Previous research has shown the pill, Silexan, is as effective as the drug lorazepam, used to treat anxiety.
The theory is that lavender works by enhancing the effect of a brain chemical which reduces nerve cell activity, suppressing brain areas involved in anxiety.

Instant test for endometriosis

The first quick, non-invasive test for endometriosis could soon be available.
Researchers have discovered a protein found in high levels in women with the condition - in which cells that normally line the womb grow elsewhere in the body.
Every month these cells grow and then shed blood. The new discovery paves the way for a simple urine test for a condition that affects around two million women in the UK.
It is currently diagnosed - after an average eight-year delay - with surgery, which involves a general anaesthetic and inserting a camera into the womb

Rude health

Having sex at least twice a week boosts your levels of immunoglobulin A by 20 per cent. This antibody protects against colds and other infections, say U.S. researchers.