The Therapeutic Benefits of Essential Oils

The Cannabis Terpenes

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25245792 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (24) ◽

pp. 5792

Author(s):

Sarana Rose Sommano ◽

Chuda Chittasupho ◽

Warintorn Ruksiriwanich ◽

Pensak Jantrawut

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Market Price ◽

Sensory Attributes ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Aroma Characteristics ◽

Shed Light

Terpenes are the primary constituents of essential oils and are responsible for the aroma characteristics of cannabis. Together with the cannabinoids, terpenes illustrate synergic and/or entourage effect and their interactions have only been speculated in for the last few decades. Hundreds of terpenes are identified that allude to cannabis sensory attributes, contributing largely to the consumer’s experiences and market price. They also enhance many therapeutic benefits, especially as aromatherapy. To shed light on the importance of terpenes in the cannabis industry, the purpose of this review is to morphologically describe sources of cannabis terpenes and to explain the biosynthesis and diversity of terpene profiles in different cannabis chemovars.

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The Role of Essential Oils and Their Main Compounds in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26123506 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (12) ◽

pp. 3506

Author(s):

Jorge M. Alves-Silva ◽

Mónica Zuzarte ◽

Henrique Girão ◽

Lígia Salgueiro

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Side Effects ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Patient Adherence ◽

Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽

Plant Metabolites ◽

Cellular Protection ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Current Therapies

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a global health burden that greatly impact patient quality of life and account for a huge number of deaths worldwide. Despite current therapies, several side effects have been reported that compromise patient adherence; thus, affecting therapeutic benefits. In this context, plant metabolites, namely volatile extracts and compounds, have emerged as promising therapeutic agents. Indeed, these compounds, in addition to having beneficial bioactivities, are generally more amenable and present less side effects, allowing better patient tolerance. The present review is an updated compilation of the studies carried out in the last 20 years on the beneficial potential of essential oils, and their compounds, against major risk factors of CVDs. Overall, these metabolites show beneficial potential through a direct effect on these risk factors, namely hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes, or by acting on related targets, or exerting general cellular protection. In general, monoterpenic compounds are the most studied regarding hypotensive and anti-dyslipidemic/antidiabetic properties, whereas phenylpropanoids are very effective at avoiding platelet aggregation. Despite the number of studies performed, clinical trials are sparse and several aspects related to essential oil’s features, namely volatility and chemical variability, need to be considered in order to guarantee their efficacy in a clinical setting.

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The Essential Oil Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Liquidambar formosana Oleoresin

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9070822 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 822 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Anjanette DeCarlo ◽

Tao Zeng ◽

Noura S. Dosoky ◽

Prabodh Satyal ◽

William N. Setzer

Keyword(s):

Gas Chromatography ◽

Antimicrobial Activity ◽

Essential Oil ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Southern China ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Oil Composition ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis

The oleoresin essential oils of Liquidambar formosana have potential therapeutic benefits. However, current research on L. formosana oleoresin essential oil is still in its early stages, and its chemotypic characterization is undefined. For better leveraging of plant resources and application of the essential oil, we collected 25 L. formosana oleoresin essential oil samples of individual trees from different geographical areas of Southern China. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID). The major components of the essential oils were (E)-caryophyllene (3.3%-64.4%), α-pinene (0.6%-34.5%), β-pinene (0.6%-26.0%), camphene (0.3%-17.3%), and limonene (0.2%-7.9%). A chiral GC–MS analysis was carried out on the essential oil samples and (–)-α-Pinene, (–)-β-pinene, (–)-camphene, and (–)-limonene were the dominant enantiomers in L. formosana essential oil. The chemical categories of L. formosana oleoresin essential oils were clarified by agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis (AHC) and principal component analysis (PCA). The multivariate analyses demonstrated that a total of four chemical groups can be delineated for L. formosana. The L. formosana essential oils were screened for antimicrobial activity against a panel of potentially pathogenic bacteria and fungi and showed promising antimicrobial activities with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤ 625 μg/mL. These results highlight the economic value of L. formosana oleoresin essential oil, the importance of L. formosana sustainability, and the potential therapeutic benefits of its oleoresin essential oils.

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Aromatherapy in Textiles: A Systematic Review of Studies Examining Textiles as a Potential Carrier for the Therapeutic Effects of Essential Oils

Textiles ◽

10.3390/textiles2010003 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 29-49

Author(s):

Sunidhi Mehta ◽

Maureen MacGillivray

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Complementary Therapies ◽

Conventional Medicine ◽

Therapeutic Benefit ◽

Future Research ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Textile Materials ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Delivery Mechanism

Integrative medicine is a rapidly growing specialty field of medical care that emphasizes the amalgamation of complementary therapies and conventional medicine. Aromatherapy, one of the complementary therapies, is a centuries-old tradition, used in many cultures and societies as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, conventional medicine. However, there is very little understanding of its therapeutic benefits in the scientific realm related to the correct dosage of essential oils, their delivery mechanism and their efficacy on human physiology in general. We reviewed studies published between 2011–2021 focused on aromatherapy and textiles, and explore “textile” materials as a possible carrier for essential oils in this paper. Due to their proximity to the biggest organ of the human body, textiles can potentially serve as a good delivery system for the therapeutic benefit of essential oils. After this rigorous review, we found gaps in the field. Therefore, we propose cross-disciplinary synergies for future research to fully understand the therapeutic efficacy of essential oils.

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