Essential Oil Research

by Jade Shutes

Finding great research on specific essential oils can be time consuming but if you are a research junkie like me, here are some great resources that I pulled together for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy.

Research Sites

american-botanical
American Botanical Council
The School for Aromatic Studies is a member of the American Botanical Council!
At the American Botanical Council, we are passionate about helping people live healthier lives through the responsible use of herbs, medicinal plants. We are an independent, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to providing accurate and reliable information for consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry and the media.

Pubmed
The PubMed search system provides access to the PubMed database of bibliographic information, which is drawn primarily from MEDLINE and PREMEDLINE. In addition, for participating journals that are indexed selectively for MEDLINE, PubMed includes all articles from that journal, not just those that are included in MEDLINE. Finally, PubMed also provides access to the molecular biology databases included in NCBI’s Entrez retrieval system. It is expected that access to additional National Library of Medicine databases will be added in the future.

CAM on PubMed
CAM on PubMed, a database on the Web developed jointly by NCCAM and the National Library of Medicine, offers citations to (and in most cases, abstracts of) articles in scientifically based, peer- reviewed journals on complementary and alternative medicine. It contains 220,000 citations, has links to full text, and allows searchers to limit retrievals by publication type. Look for the Alerts and Advisories, treatment information, resources, links to other organizations (FDA, AHRQ, ODS etc.).

The PLANTS Database
The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, plant links, references, crop information, and automated tools. PLANTS reduces costs by minimizing duplication and making information exchange possible across agencies and disciplines.

HerbMed®
An interactive, electronic herbal database – provides hyperlinked access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health. It is an impartial, evidence-based information resource for professionals, researchers, and general public, provided by the nonprofit Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Science Direct
Science Direct is a leading full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books.

Some Research Articles

Click on name of article and this will link you to the research paper!

The Sleep-Enhancing Effect of Valerian Inhalation and Sleep-Shortening Effect of Lemon Inhalation

Clary Sage Essential Oil, but Not Lavender Essential Oil, Reduces Stress during Urodynamic Examinations

Effects of Fragrance Inhalation on Sympathetic Activity in Normal Adults

Essential Oils of Aromatic Plants with Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral, and Cytotoxic Properties – an Overview

An evaluation of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antinociceptive activities of essential oil from Curcuma longa. L

Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact

Immune-Modifying and Antimicrobial Effects of Eucalyptus Oil and Simple Inhalation Devices

Anxiolytic Effect of Aromatherapy Massage in Patients with Breast Cancer

Neurobehavioral effect of essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus in mice

Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties

Activity of tea tree oil and nerolidol alone or in combination against Pediculus capitis (head lice) and its eggs

A novel treatment of postherpetic neuralgia using peppermint oil.

Inhalation of neroli essential oil and its anxiolytic effects in animals (Research paper)

Effects of a fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil on symptoms and quality of life in patients suffering from functional dyspepsia

Analysis of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oil from its Aerial Parts – Antinociceptive Effect and GC/MS (note: chemistry different from many of the chemotypes used in aromatherapy)

Antidermatophytic activity of essential oils

Enteric-coated, pH-dependent peppermint oil capsules for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children

The Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth With Enteric-Coated Peppermint Oil: A Case Report

Effects of Thymol and Carvacrol, Constituents of Thymus vulgaris L. Essential Oil, on the Inflammatory Response

Essence of Peppermint, a History of the Medicine and its Bottle

Clinical and Experimental Studies on Oxidized Fragrance Terpenes as Contact Allergens by Johanna Bråred Christensson

European Medicines Agency
PUBLIC STATEMENT ON THE USE OF HERBAL MEDICINAL PRODUCTS CONTAINING ESTRAGOLE

EPA Summary of Test Plan for Estragole including Toxicity Information

International Agency for Research for Cancer (IARC) Monograph on Methyl eugenol

Screening Assessment for the Challenge Benzene, 1,2-dimethoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-(Methyl eugenol)
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 93-15-2
Environment Canada Health Canada

Introduction to Toxicology (National Institute of Health)

Methyl Eugenol: Its Occurrence, Distribution, and Role in Nature, Especially in Relation to Insect Behavior and Pollination