Anti-inflammatory Activity of Some Essential Oils

There are many diseases that are associated with inflammation, such as infections by bacteria, virus and protozoa, autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. There are many medications available to prevent or minimize the progression of the inflammation; they include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids, but they have some secondary effects. Traditional medicine has been used to address the health demands of the population and nowadays it presents many opportunities in health care. Essential oils are use in this medicine to treat many diseases. In a review of the last five years it was found that several essential oils with anti-inflammatory activity were isolated from 43 plants. In some cases, oils of the same genus but different species have this activity, such as the essential oils obtained from three species of genus Origanum, as well as three oils from three species of the Citrus genus, and three from the Pimpinella genus. In many cases the essential oil composition obtained has been determined, and in some cases the anti-inflammatory activity of the main compounds of these essential oils has been evaluated, such as carvacrol and isoeugenol, which showed an important anti-inflammatory activity. On the basis of this review, we can say that some essential oils could be an important source for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.