International Journal of Aromatherapy最新文献

Honey is reported to have wound healing properties. This study aimed at investigating its effect as well as those of surfactants on the antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum L. (ocimum oil). The antibacterial activity of dispersions of ocimum oil (2%) in methanol, honey, a macrogol blend, nonionic and ionic emulsifiers were assessed by cup–plate method using type bacteria and wound isolates. Honey enhanced the antibacterial activity of ocimum oil to a greater extent than the macrogol blend. The activity of ocimum oil emulsion in cetrimide (cationic) was lower than obtained for cetrimide solution. Emulsion of the oil in sodium lauryl sulphate (anionic) exhibited a slightly higher activity than the solution of the surfactant alone. Although Tween^® 20 (nonionic) and aqueous methanol had no activity, the emulsion of the oil in Tween^® 20 showed lesser activity than the oil solution in methanol. Honey’s inherent antibacterial activity, surfactant charge interaction and the effect of emulsification were adduced to the observed differences in antibacterial activity of the ocimum oil formulations. Our findings indicated honey as a suitable base for ocimum oil especially in the treatment of infected wounds. Caution is, however, desirable in the use of surfactants with ocimum oil.

There is a strong need for new antifungal agents with a different mode of action due to the therapeutic limitations of existing drugs and the development of fungal resistances ([NIAID, The second NIAID workshop in medical mycology: molecular and immunologic approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of systemic mycoses, http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/meetings/mycology94/fungal.htm (2001)]). Mammalians, plants and fungi produce at least different cell wall sterols from common precursors. No antifungal drug is known that specifically prevents the formation of the fungal ergosterol, without affecting sterol biosynthesis at early, common stages (DiDomenico, B., Novel antifungal drugs, Curr Opin Microbiol 1999;2:509–15; Walsh TJ, Viviani MA, Arathoon E, Chiou C, Ghannoum M, Groll AH, et al., New target and delivery systems for antifungal therapy, Med Mycol 2000;38(Suppl. I):335–47). To find new inhibitors that may inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis, a query of a database on antimicrobials (Pauli, A., AmicBase 2005. Weinheim, New York: Wiley, 2005a; Pauli, A., Anticandidal low molecular compounds from higher plants with special reference to compounds from essential oils. Med Res Rev doi:10.1002/med.20050; 2005b) was performed with substructures of intermediates of ergosterol biosynthesis. As a result a series of Candida albicans-inhibiting compounds were identified that all possess the side chain of zymosterol as a substructure; their anticandidal activity was found to be increased with increase of their molecular volume. The entire structure of the Chamomile constituent α-bisabolol is found as a substructure in similar form within zymosterol. It was therefore concluded that compounds of this type interfere with ergosterol biosynthesis at the level of zymosterol and prevent the formation of fecosterol from zymosterol, which is the first fungi specific step in ergosterol biosynthesis. Due to the low toxicity of α-bisabolol (Schilcher H, Wirkungsweise und Anwendungsformen der Kamillenblüten, BMV Berliner Medizinische Verlagsanstalt GmbH, Berlin; 2004) the compound comes into question as a therapeutic agent and may serve as a lead compound in the development of new antifungal drugs.

This review examines the effect of menthol on thermoreceptors, firstly from a historical viewpoint leading to the characterisation of temperature-gated transient receptor channels and then by linking this activity to specific therapeutic effects. The underlying mechanisms involved in these effects, primarily by the dermal and respiratory administration of menthol, are explored.

Aromatherapy scents that are perceived through olfaction and transmitted to the body stimulate the brain and the lungs. They have a positive effect on many parts of the body and can improve metabolism, blood circulation, digestion and hormonal function. However, the side effects of aromatherapy have been suppressed or refuted by many inexpert aromatherapists to date. This is the reason for this statistical analysis of aromatherapy preferences and complications for 3000 otolaryngology patients.

Among the 3000 patients, 1.67% have experienced some form of complication induced by essential oils used in aromatherapy, including skin eruptions, respiratory distress and other symptoms. Furthermore, 0.93% of all patients refused aromatherapy because they found the smell unpleasant or due to individual preference. As aromatherapy oils are created by distilling various plant-derived chemicals to create a concentration as great as 100× or more, they should be used with caution. Essential oils can be a beneficial therapy so long as we use them with precise knowledge of their properties, but they can also easily become a poison if we use them carelessly and ignore their potential adverse effects. People should therefore follow instructions at all times and should never use these oils for an extended period or overuse them.

Antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea of lavender, rosemary, peppermint, sweet basil, rose, ginger, and thyme extracts alone at different concentrations (0.04, 0.19, and 0.40 mg/mL) or in combination with vanillin was investigated. Comparatively, 0.04 and 0.19 mg/mL concentrations of essential oil extracts were less inhibitory than that of 0.40 mg/mL concentrations. However, with rosemary extracts, high inhibitory activity was observed for all tested concentrations. On the other hand, the combination of essential oil extracts with vanillin exhibited a marked antifungal activity for B. cinerea with thyme, lavender, and peppermint extracts. These inhibitory effects are interesting in connection with the prevention of gray mold rot in many agricultural products and these antifungals could be used instead of synthetic products.

Thirty-six aromatic herbs were cultivated in Chichibu district of Japan, and their volatile constituents were elucidated by GC/MS analysis using ethyl acetate extract of the herbs to determine the chemotype. The volatile compositions of 30 herbs were similar to those of commercial essential oils and literature except for Eupatorium japonicum, marjoram, Japanese mint, oregano and yarrow. The volatile composition of Eupatorium laciniatum was first elucidated in this study. The vapour activity of the ethyl acetate extracts was determined by box vapour assay against Trichophyton mentagrophytes to search for the anti-infectious herbs to treat tinea pedis by vapour therapy. For comparison, the contact activity was determined by agar diffusion assay. The results showed that most of herbs exhibited potent vapour activity against the test organism, of which Roman chamomile, curry plant, hyssop, lavandin, marjoram sweet, orange mint, spearmint, monarda, oregano, rosemary, rue sage, tansy, tarragon, thyme common and yarrow showed the most potent activity. Most of the activity was correlated with the contact activity and also with main active ingredients of the herbs, but no correlation was found for curry plant, oregano, rosemary, rue, sage and yarrow.