A status review on the medicinal properties of essential oils

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.05.055

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Highlights

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Essential oil (EO) market all over the world is estimated to be 700 million US $.

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EOs have potential applications in human health and medicine.

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They are useful in chemotherapy of infectious and noninfectious diseases.

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Constituents of EOs may act as scaffolds for novel approaches of therapeutic research.

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Abstract

Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of low molecular weight compounds extracted from plants by steam distillation and various solvents. Terpenoids and phenylpropanoids are the major constituents which provide characteristic aroma and biological properties to EOs. Essential oils are prescribed for a variety of health problems by traditional systems of medicine, all over the world. Various pharmaceutical and biological activities like, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antimutagenic, antidiabetic, antiviral, antiinflammatory, and antiprotozoal properties are assigned to them. Extensive phytochemical analysis has lead to the characterization and identification of major components of EOs which are of wide interest, especially to cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Current status of the bio-active properties of EOs and their medicinal potential are covered in this review.

Keywords

• Antimicrobial; 
• Bio-active molecule; 
• Chemotherapy; 
• Essential oil; 
• Medicinal property; 
• Plant molecule

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Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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