ESSENTIAL OIL: THEIR ROLE IN HEALTH – A REVIEW
AbstractThe therapeutic potential of essential oil-bearing plants have been realized. Like herbal remedies, essential oils and their constituents cover a wide field of performance. These include antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The field of aroma and smell is so attracting that Nobel Prize (2004) in physiology and Medicine was awarded for unlocking the secrets of smell. Thanks to Prof. Richard Alex of Columbia University, and Linda B. Buck, who unlocked the secrets of the olfactory system at the molecular level. These odor bearing substances pass through nasal passage are detected by particular neurons called olfactory cells present in the upper part of nasal epithelium which contains five (5) million neurons. Essential oils are chemically a mixture of organic compounds belonging to different chemical entities such as terpenes, phenols, aliphatic compounds, benzoyl compounds, and heterocyclic compounds. Terpenes are classified as mono, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes based on isoprene units. Oxygenated terpenes are the chief odor transporters of the essential oils. They include the alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, ethers, etc.