Leopold Jirovetz

Aromatherapy: Evidence for Sedative Effects of the Essential Oil of Lavender after Inhalation

The sedative properties of the essential oil of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Miller) and of its main constituents - linalool and linalyl acetate - were investigated in mice followed up in a series of experimental procedures. The significant decrease in the motility of female and male laboratory animals under standardized experimental conditions is found to be closely dependent on the exposure time to the drugs. Nevertheless after an injection of caffeine into mice a hyperactivity was observed which was reduced to nearly a normal motility only by inhalation of these fragrance drugs. In particular the correlation of the motility of the animals to linalool in serum is experimentally proven, thus furnishing evidence of the aromatherapeutical use of herbal pillows employed in folk medicine since ancient times in order to facilitate falling asleep or to minimize stressful situations of man.

Antimicrobial study of essential oils of Ocimum gratissimum leaves and Zanthoxylum xanthoxyloides fruits from Cameroon.

An investigation of antimicrobial activities of essential oils of fresh leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and the essential oil of the dried fruits of Zanthoxylum xanthoxyloides was carried out. The essential oils showed extensive inhibition zones and are, therefore, effective antimicrobial systems.

Chemical composition of essential oils of Lantana camara leaves and flowers from Cameroon and Madagascar

The essential oils of leaves and flowers of Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) from Cameroon and Madagascar were analysed by GC–FID and GC–MS. The oils are characterized by a high percentage of sesquiterpenes. The major components in the oils from Cameroon are ar-curcumene (25%), β-caryophyllene (13%) and caryophyllene epoxide (7%), while the main components of the oil from Madagascar are davanone (15%) and β-caryophyllene (12%). The monoterpenes percentages are lower in the two essential oils and are represented by sabinene (1–9%), α-pinene (2–4%), 1,8-cineole (1–3%) and linalool (1–3%). A comparison with the composition of various essential oils of L. camara with different origin will also be given. Copyright

Correlation of Antimicrobial Activities of Various Essential Oils and Their Main Aromatic Volatile Constituents

Abstract The pure aromatic volatiles p-cymene, carvacrol, eugenol and thymol as well as commercial essential oils of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Origanum vulgare, Pimenta dioica, Pimenta racemosa, Satureja hortensis, Syzygium aromaticum, Thymus vulgaris and Trachyspermum ammi were investigated concerning antimicrobial activities. Therefore, these samples and, as reference substances, synthetic antibiotics and the natural antimicrobial components carveol, m-, o- and p-cresol were tested against strains of two Gram-positive and five Gram-negative bacteria and the yeast Candida albicans using agar dilution and agar diffusion methods. The analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oils by means of GC and GC/MS focusing on aromatic volatiles produced the following results: C. zeylanicum: eugenol (74.9%); O. vulgare: carvacrol (66.1%) and p-cymene (9.2%); P. dioica: eugenol (76.0%); P. racemosa: eugenol (45.6%); S. hortensis: carvacrol (41.5%), p-cymene (10.7%) and thymol (8.7%); S. aromaticum: eugenol (76.8%); T. vulgaris: thymol (43.4%), p-cymene (23.5%) and carvacrol (4.1%); T. ammi: thymol (43.7%) and p-cymene (17.7%). All investigated aromatic volatiles and essential oils exhibited strong effects against the yeast Candida albicans and medium to strong antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis and the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, and Salmonella sp., whereas weaker effects were observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Composition and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oil of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) Leaves from Sri Lanka

Abstract The composition of the volatiles from leaves of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume from Sri Lanka was studied by GC-FID and GC-MS. The basic component of the oil was found to be eugenol (74.9%), followed by β-caryophyllene (4.1%), benzyl benzoate (3.0%), linalool (2.5%), eugenyl acetate (2.1%) and cinnamyl acetate (1.8%). The essential leaf oil from cinnamon demonstrated scavenger activity against the DPPH radical at concentrations which are lower than the concentrations of eugenol, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). This essential cinnamon oil showed also a significant inhibitory effect on hydroxyl radicals and acted as an iron chelator. Cinnamon leaf oil efficiently inhibited the formation of conjugated dienes and the generation of secondary products from lipid peroxidation at a concentration equivalent to that of the standard BHT.

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis L.) Essential Oil. Action of the Essential Oil on the Antioxidant Protection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Model Organism

The essential oil of juniper berries (Juniperus communis L., Cupressaceae) is traditionally used for medicinal and flavoring purposes. As elucidated by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS methods), the juniper berry oil from Bulgaria is largely comprised of monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene (51.4%), myrcene (8.3%), sabinene (5.8%), limonene (5.1%) and β-pinene (5.0%). The antioxidant capacity of the essential oil was evaluated in vitro by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation scavenging, hydroxyl radical (ОН•) scavenging and chelating capacity, superoxide radical (•O2−) scavenging and xanthine oxidase inhibitory effects, hydrogen peroxide scavenging. The antioxidant activity of the oil attributable to electron transfer made juniper berry essential oil a strong antioxidant, whereas the antioxidant activity attributable to hydrogen atom transfer was lower. Lipid peroxidation inhibition by the essential oil in both stages, i.e., hydroperoxide formation and malondialdehyde formation, was less efficient than the inhibition by butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In vivo studies confirmed these effects of the oil which created the possibility of blocking the oxidation processes in yeast cells by increasing activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).

Purity, Antimicrobial Activities and Olfactoric Evaluations of Geraniol/Nerol and Various of Their Derivatives

Abstract Commercially available geraniol and nerol, as well as some derivatives, were analyzed for their purity using GC and GC/MS. The olfactoric quality of the samples was evaluated by professional perfumers. Antimicrobial testings using an agar dilution and an agar diffusion method were done to obtain information about their activities against some Gram-(+) and Gram-(−) bacteria, as well as the yeast Candida albicans. The effects were compared with those of the phenolic compound eugenol and some synthetic antibiotics. Most of the investigated compounds were found to have a characteristic, pleasant odor and a high activity against all strains of microorganisms used.

Antimicrobial Testings and Gas Chromatographic Analyses of Aroma Chemicals

Abstract In continuation of our scientific work in the field of combined and sytematical investigation of antimicrobial activities (by means of agar dilution and agar diffusion methods) and structural properties (using gas chromatographic analyses: GC and GC/MS with chiral and achiral columns) of different aroma compounds in various samples (pure chemicals, essential oils, extracts, etc.), further odor-active hydrocarbons (2-carene, 3-carene, limonene and β-caryophyllene) and oxygenated mono- and sesquiterpenes (1,8-cineole, linalool, carvone, camphor and linalyl acetate as well as santalol) were used. Only in the case of (+)-3-carene, (+)-carvone, (-)-linalool and racemic linalool antimicrobial activities were found against all used strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsielle pneumonia and Candida albicans). Detailed results of both, antimicrobial activities and structural properties of the investigated aroma compounds will be presented in this paper.

Evidence of the Sedative Effect of Neroli Oil, Citronellal and Phenylethyl Acetate on Mice

ABSTRACT The sedative effects of neroli oil, Citrus aurantium (L.) subsp. aurantium, citronellal and phenylethyl acetate on mice were investigated in a series of experimental procedures. Under standardized experimental conditions the motility of female mice was reduced from arbitrarily graded 100% for untreated animals to 34.73% by neroli oil, to 50.18% by citronellal and 54.94% by phenylethyl acetate, respectively. In the serum of animals exposed for one hour, the concentration of the fragrances was analyzed by GC/FID and found to be 0.85 ng/mL for neroli oil, 2.53 ng/mL for citronellal and 5.35 ng/mL for phenylethyl acetate.

A new phthalic acid ester from Ajuga bracteosa

A new phthalic acid ester 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid bis(2S-methyl heptyl) ester (1) was isolated from the hexane extract of the whole plant of Ajuga bracteosa. In addition, chloroform and methanol extracts yielded neo-clerodane diterpene ajugarin-I and two iridoid glycosides, reptoside and 8-O-acetyl harpagide. The structures of all the compounds were confirmed by extensive spectroscopic analysis. From the two oily fractions nine and six volatile constituents respectively were identified by GCMS. Linalyl acetate was found to be common in both the oil fractions. This plant is a new source of linalyl acetate, a valuable perfumery compound.