Correlation between the effect of essential oils on humans and the content of certain components in them

   Essential oils (EO) are multicomponent mixtures of terpenes, terpenoids, and aromatic hydrocarbons. The creation of therapeutic agents based on EO requires an assessment of the role of each component in the action of the EO. One possible way is to identify a correlation between the content of the component in the EO and the severity of the biological effect.

   Objective. To evaluate the role of some components in the effect of EO on the human body based on the study of the correlation between the content of the component in EO and the severity of the effect.

   Materials and methods. Women 55-85 years old. The control groups underwent psychorelaxation lasting 10, 20 or 30 minutes, the experimental groups underwent psychorelaxation in combination with inhalation of the EO at a concentration of 1 mg/ m³ of air, the same duration. Before and after the procedures, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, heart rate (HR) were measured, stroke volume of the heart (HSV), cardiac minute output (CMO), blood circulation efficiency coefficient (CEC), psychoemotional state (Hospital Scale of Anxiety and Depression) and mental performance (the missing letters test).

   Results. Upon 10-minute exposure, the content of p-cymene in the EO positively correlates with the HSV and CMO and negatively with the level of depression, β–pinene - positively with the HSV, CMO and CEC, limonene - negatively with heart rate. After 20 minutes of exposure, the p-cymene content positively correlates with CMO and with word recognition. After 30 minutes of exposure, the content of p-cymene is negative, and 1,8-cineole positively correlates with the level of depression, the content of linalool is negative with word recognition. No statistically significant correlations were found for α-pinene.

   Conclusion. p-cymene has a positive effect on psychoemotional state, mental performance and blood circulation, linalool has a negative effect on mental performance, 1,8-cineol has a positive effect on psychoemotional state, limonene and β-pinene have an ambiguous effect on blood circulation.

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