Effects of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Essential Oil Inhalation on Cognitive Performance and Mood in Healthy Women

Objective: To evaluate the effects of inhalation of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil on the cognitive function and mood in healthy female volunteers. Methods: All 30 participants of each group were required to inhale either lemongrass essential oil or a placebo (inactive control oil) for five minutes. Before and after the 5-minuite inhalation period, their cognitive function was assessed with a computerized battery of tests and the mood with a self-rated visual analogue; the blood pressure and heart rate were also measured. Differences in the cognitive function, mood, blood pressure and heart rate between the two groups were analyzed and tested using an independent t-test. Results: After the inhalation, the lemongrass essential oil enhanced their cognitive performance for the domains of the continuity of attention and the quality of memory (P-value = 0.013 and 0.026, respectively), whereas the mood in terms of alertness and calmness was also increased (P-value = 0.001 and 0.035, respectively). However, no significant change in the blood pressure and heart rate was observed. Conclusion: The lemongrass essential oil inhalation could improve the cognitive function and modulate mood of healthy women with no effect on the physiological status. However, the underlying mechanisms of these positive effects still require further studies. Keywords: Cymbopogon citratus, lemongrass, essential oil, cognitive performance, moo

Urinary sulfated glycosaminoglycan insufficiency and chondroitin sulfate supplement in urolithiasis.

Familial members of urolithiasis have high risk for stone development. We observed the low sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) excretion in urolithiasis patients and their descendants. In this study, we investigated urinary excretion of sulfated GAG, chondroitin sulfate (CS), heparan sulfate (HS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in urolithiasis and their children, and explored the effect of CS and HA supplement in urolithic hyperoxaluric rats. The 24-hour urines were collected from urolithiasis patients (28) and their children (40), as well as healthy controls (45) and their children (33) to measure urinary sulfated GAG, CS, HS and HA excretion rate. Our result showed that urinary sulfated GAG and CS were diminished in both urolithiasis patients and their children, while decreased HS and increased HA were observed only in urolithiasis patients. Percentage of HS per sulfated GAG increased in both urolithiasis patients and their children. In hyperoxaluric rats induced by ethylene glycol and vitamin D, we found that CS supplement could prevent stone formation, while HA supplement had no effect on stone formation. Our study revealed that decreased urinary GAG and CS excretion are common in familial members of urolithiasis patients, and CS supplement might be beneficial in calcium oxalate urolithiasis prophylaxis for hyperoxaluric patients