Nat Prod Sci.  2018 Sep;24(3):139-147. 10.20307/nps.2018.24.3.139.

Essential Oils: Biological Activity Beyond Aromatherapy

• Kar S
• Gupta P
• Gupta J

• KMID: 2422004
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.20307/nps.2018.24.3.139

Abstract

The essential oils are fragrant products whose complex compositions are obtained from various parts of plants by dry or steam distillation. Plants with variable biological activities have been explored worldwide. The presence of a large number of phenols, terpenes and other aromatic compounds make essential oils more precise in their mode of action. Because of this, they are known to possess many biological activities like antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory etc. In this article, we will review the published literature summarizing the chemistry of essential oils and their important biological activities.

Keyword

Essential oil; Bioactive molecules; Terpenes; Phenols; Aromatic compounds

MeSH Terms

Aromatherapy*
Chemistry
Distillation
Oils, Volatile*
Phenol
Phenols
Steam
Terpenes
Oils, Volatile
Phenol
Phenols
Steam
Terpenes

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