Effectiveness of Indonesian Essential Oil Mixture of Lemongrass, Cananga, and Patchouli in Relaxation Through Inhalation: a Clinical Test on Healthy Woman with High Potential for Stress

Relaxation is one of many mechanisms for coping with stress. One of the most widely used methods for relaxation is aromatherapy with the application of essential oils. Known for their therapeutic benefits, essential oils can be extracted from various Indonesian native herbs such as lemongrass (sereh wangi or Cymbopogon winterianus), cananga or ylang-ylang (kenanga or Canarium odoratum), and patchouli (nilam or Pogostemon cabin). This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a mixture of Indonesian essential oil made of lemongrass, cananga, and patchouli extracts. Experiment was conducted by asking a number of subjects to inhale the oil mixture and assessing its effectiveness in terms of psychological relaxation by using Visual Analog Scale or VAS) and of physical relaxation by examining the subjects’ blood pressure (MAP), pulse frequency, and breathing frequency. The result was then compared with that of lavender oil and with the control group. The study was conducted on 60 healthy women through single-blind clinical trials (before and after) using the “intent to treat” approach, followed by a startle test. Participants were divided into three groups: (1) 20 participants who were treated with Indonesian essential oil mixture, (2) 20 participants who were treated with lavender oil, and (3) 20 participants who served as the control group. Psychological relaxation measurement showed that Indonesian essential oil mixture produced the same degree of effectiveness as lavender oil and the control groups did, although both treatments tended to produce better results than the control group did. However, physical relaxation measurement showed that Indonesian essential oil mixture produced a higher degree of effectiveness than lavender oil and tended to produce a better result than the control group did, especially in terms of blood pressure based on MAP scores.    &nbsp

Investigation of Using Natural Aromatizers of Lemon Essential Oil in Ayurvedic Culinary

There was considered a possibility of using natural aromatizers in ayurvedic culinary, namely fractions that act as a product of lemon essential oil. There was presented the component ratio and characteristic of a fragrance of a terpene fraction and terpenoid one, obtained by the gas-chromatographic analysis on a nozzle column with a stable dynonyl phthalate fraction by the standard method.A classic salad sauce “Vinaigrette” was chosen as a research subject. The introduction of natural aromatizers was conducted at the final stage of mixing olive oil and other ingredients of the dish. The optimal amount of aromatizers was determined empirically by sensor analysis results. During the studies, it has been established, that a fraction of lemon essential oil No. 1 must be introduced in amount 0,1 g for 1000 g of the ready product, a fraction of lemon essential oil No. 2 – 0,125 g for 1000 g of the ready product.As far as terpenes and terpenoids of lemon essential oil are natural substances of the initial raw material, stimulating food juices extraction, it allows to state about the activation of so-called “digestive fire” at using the aromatized sauce

Influence of extraction methods on the composition of essential oils of Achillea millefolium L. from Lithuania

In this study, flowering aerial parts of Achillea millefolium were used as a matrix for supercritical CO2 extraction (SFE) of volatile oil. The collected extracts were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS methods and their composition were compared with that of the essential oil isolated by hydrodistillation (HD). The composition of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation and SFE methods is widely different. Indeed, the SFE volatile oil had a pale yellow color whereas the HD oil had a blue color due to the presence of chamazulene (48.0% vs. 4.3%). Other important constituents of HD oil were (E)- caryophyllene (19.5 %) and γ-muurolene (13.1%). The CO2 supercritical extract was dominated by (E)-caryophyllene (26.0%), γ-muurolene (22.0%), and caryophyllene oxide (8.1%)

The essential oil of Thymbra capitata and its application as a biocide on stone and derived surfaces

Many chemicals used nowadays for the preservation of cultural heritage pose a risk to both human health and the environment. Thus, it is desirable to find new and eco-friendly biocides that can replace the synthetic ones. In this regard, plant essential oils represent effective alternatives to synthetic substances for the preservation of historical monuments. Thymbra capitata (syn. Thymus capitatus) is a medicinal and aromatic plant growing in the Mediterranean area and endowed with important pharmacological properties related to its essential oil. Among them, the antimicrobial ones make the T. capitata essential oil an ideal candidate for industrial applications; for instance, as biocide for the inhibition and elimination of biological patinas of cyanobacteria and green algae on historical monuments. In the present work, we studied the chemical composition of the essential oil from T. capitata growing in Malta by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The major volatile component is the phenolic monoterpene carvacrol (73.2%), which is capable of damaging the cytoplasmic membrane and to interfere both in the growth curve and in the invasive capacity, though the contribution of minor components γ-terpinene and p-cymene cannot be disregarded. For the oil application on the stone surface, Pickering emulsions systems were prepared with an essential oil/water 1:3 mass ratio stabilized with kaolinite at 4 mass% in the presence of Laponite®; this allowed to limit the fast volatility of the oil and guaranteed a better application and an easier removal from the artefacts attacked by biodeteriogens both indoor and outdoor. This formulation caused the elimination of biodeteriogens from treated surfaces without residuals or films on artworks surface, and the effect was retained up to four months

Enfleurage Essential Oil From Jasmine and Rose Using Cold Fat Adsorbent

Flower essential oils can't be taken by distillation, which is the oils' component will damage because of hydrolysis and polymerization process. High-boiling components can't be transported by water vapor so its yield and quality of the oil product is low. The alternative method for producing flower essential oils is an enfleurage process. Enfleurage is essential oil extraction process using cold fat, where the scent of flowers is absorbed by fat. The aim of the research is to obtain information about the optimum conditions based on essential oils of flowers through enfleurage method. Enfleurage process was begun with prepared the adsorbent which was made from mixing of vegetable fat and animal fat in ratio of 1:1. Fat was heated up to 60 0C further stirring for 15 minutes. As long as stirring, the fat mixture was mixed with benzoate and stirred for 2 hours. After the adsorbent was ready, a chassis was smeared with a layer of fat and flowers were palced in surface of fat for 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 days. The process was repeated with change the flowers every 24 hour with fresh flowers. When contact time had finished, fat was extracted using alcohol and it was separated by vacum distillation. The maximum yield was obtained for 5 days 0.89 % for jasmine, 0.88 % for rose and 0.84 % for frangipani. The enfleurage process is an effective method to produce flowers essential oils. The success of it depends on type of adsorbent, the level of florescence, as well as enfleurage's period

Chemical Composition and in Vitro Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Eucalyptus gillii Essential Oil and Extracts

In this study, essential oil and various extracts (hexane, petroleum ether, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water) of Eucalyptus gilii were screened for their chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The essential oil chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), respectively. Thirty four compounds were identified, corresponding to 99.5% of the total essential oil. Tannins [104.9-251.3 g catechin equivalent (CE)/Kg dry mass], flavonoids [3.3-34.3 g quercetin equivalent (QE)/Kg dry mass], phenolics [4.7-216.6 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/Kg dry mass] and anthocyannins [1.2-45.3 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent (C3GE)/Kg dry mass] of various extracts were investigated. Free radical scavenging capacity of all samples was determinedt. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the IC50 of essential oil was 163.5 ± 10.7 mg/L and in the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) assay, it was 94.7 ± 7.1 mg/L. Among the various extracts, the water extract showed the best result (IC50 = 11.4 ± 0.6 mg/L) in the DPPH assay which was comparable to vitamin C (IC50 = 4.4 ± 0.2 mg/L). The antimicrobial activities were evaluated against different bacterial and fungal strains. Gram positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive to the essential oil and extracts than Gram negative ones. Anthocyanins seem to have a major effect on the growth of Bacillus subtilis (R2 = 0.79). A significant antifungal activity was observed against the yeast and fungi. Correlations between chemical composition and antioxidant activities were studied and R2 values were about 0.96 for the effect of phenolics on the DPPH assay

Exploration of essential oils as alternatives to conventional fungicides in lupin cultivation

Lupin (Lupinus L.) has the potential to become a true alternative for soybean as protein source, especially in the more temperate regions in the world. However, diseases such as anthracnose (Colletotrichum lupini), gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), and root rot or brown spot (Pleiochaeta setosa) are important threats for lupin production, leading to yield and quality losses. Although conventional fungicides offer a solution to these problems, there is a growing interest in the use of alternative (biological) treatments. In this research, the applicability of four pure plant essential oils (clove oil, juniper oil, tea tree oil, and thyme essential oil) and timbor® (a Thymus vulgaris-derived plant extract) as alternatives for synthetic fungicides towards the lupin pathogens—C. lupini, B. cinerea, and P. setosa—was investigated. The anti-fungal effect of juniper oil was limited, whereas the other oils and timbor® clearly suppressed the growth and spore germination of all fungi. The in vitro experiments revealed that thyme essential oil and timbor® were most effective to inhibit conidial germination and mycelium growth. Furthermore, the results of the pot experiments demonstrated that these Thymus-derived compounds were able to suppress P. setosa brown spot and root rot symptoms. Additional trials are necessary to evaluate the effect of these compounds under field conditions. However, based on these in vitro and pot experiments, it can be concluded that pure essential oils and Thymus-derived plant extracts are promising anti-fungal agents, having the potential to become true alternatives for conventional fungicides in lupin cultivation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the potential of plant-derived compounds to treat the main diseases affecting lupin production

Antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of essential oil and acetone extract of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (aril part)

The antifungal, antibacterial, and antioxidant potentials of essential oil and acetone extract were carried out by different techniques. In poison food medium method, the essential oil showed complete zones of inhibition against Fusarium graminearum at the all tested doses. For other tested fungi and bacteria, they gave good to moderate zone inhibition. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring peroxide, thiobarbituric acid and total carbonyl values of rapeseed oil at fixed time intervals. Both the extract and essential oil showed strong antioxidant activity in comparison with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In addition, their inhibitory action in linoleic acid system was studied by monitoring peroxide concentration in emulsion during incubation. The results were well correlated with above values. Their radical scavenging capacity was carried out on 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydracyl (DPPH) radicalm, and they showed strong scavenging activity in comparison with synthetic antioxidants. Their reducing power was also determined, which also proved strong antioxidant capacity of essential oil and extract. Gas chromatographic-mass spectroscopy studies on essential oil resulted in the identification of 49 components representing 96.49% of the total amount, and the major component was sabinene (20.22%), followed by terpinen-4-ol (12.08%), safrole (10.32%), α-pinene (9.7%), β-phellandrene (6.56%), and γ-terpinene (5.93%). The acetone extract showed the presence of 23 components representing 71.66% of the total amount. The major components were isocroweacin (18.92%), elemicin (17.68%), methoxyeugenol (8.13%), linoleic acid (4.12%), dehydrodiisoeugenol (4.06%), palmitic acid (2.8%), and trans-isoeugenol (2.76%). © 2005 Institute of Food Technologists.Fil: Singh, Gurdip. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University India; IndiaFil: Marimuthu, P.. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University India; IndiaFil: De Heluani, Carola S.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Catalan, Cesar Atilio Nazareno. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Química del Noroeste. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia. Instituto de Química del Noroeste; Argentin

Profile aromatic of essential oil of ginger (Zingiber officinale var. grand cayman) grown in the region of Chinantla

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a rhizome native to Asia. In "The Chinantla" region of Oaxaca, Mexico is being cultivated ginger of Grand Cayman variety with high production. The rhizome of ginger is very aroma1tiic, spicy flavor and smell. The main form of ginger marketing is ~n fresh, dehydrated fla1kes and powder, oleoresin and essential oil. The aim of this project was to evaluate the aromatic profile by GC/MS of the essential oil of fresh and dehydrated ginger rhizome cultivated in the region of "The Chinantla".(Résumé d'auteur

Oregano essential oils: Antimicrobial activity and its application to films based on cornstarch and glycerol

This trend has led to research on the development of new biodegradable packaging materials from natural polymers also suggests that several materials may be incorporated into edible films and have influence on the mechanical, protective and sensory properties. The objective of this work was to characterize oregano essential oils and incorporated edible films made with cornstarch and glycerol. The oregano essential oil obtain the raw material used was the variety Italian Oregano or Origanum majorana using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The study included the refractive index, chemical composition, color at day 0 and day 10 and antimicrobial activity of Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia Coli O157:H7. The films were prepared according to the method of casting, cornstarch, glycerol (plasticizer) and water. To assess the effect of the composition on the physical properties of films, the experiment was arranged in a 22 factorial design, with one central point. It analyzed the transfer of water vapor (Method ASTM E96-92) and color. The film which showed the best characteristics was selected; subsequently oregano essential oil was added. The refractive index of the oregano essential oils obtained from the various extractions varied between 1.4875 and 1.4981. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between the parameters a* and b* between day 0 and day 10. According to gas chromatography analysis, 52 compounds were identified in oregano essential oil, thymol (31.96%) and carvacrol (0.66%) phenols. The test antimicrobial activity, showed that Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia Coli O157:H7 were extremely sensitive to pure essential oil. The films obtained were transparent, presented homogeneous and compact surfaces. The values of permeability to water vapor were between 1.93 x 10-12 and 9.85 x 10-12 (g/m.s.Pa). The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated a significant differences between the different formulation (P<0.05). The incorporation of oregano essential oil at the formulations influenced the permeability presenting more or less resistant to the passage of water vapor. About the color, incorporating essential oil did not affect the appearance and did not show strong antibacterial activity at the concentration at which it was decided to work.Fil: Córsico, Francisco Armando. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; ArgentinaFil: Larrosa, Virginia Judit. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: López Noviello, Luciano Hernán. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; ArgentinaFil: Altamirano, Alfonsina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; ArgentinaFil: Naef, Antonella. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; ArgentinaFil: Alfaro, Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; ArgentinaFil: Garzón, Claudia Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; ArgentinaFil: Lound, Liliana Haydee. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Bromatología; Argentin