Natural essential oils: A promising strategy for treating cardio-cerebrovascular diseases

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Essential oils (EO) are volatile compounds obtained from different parts of natural plants, and have been used in national, traditional and folk medicine to treat various health problems all over the world. Records indicate that in history, herbal medicines rich in EO have been widely used for the treatment of CVDs in many countries, such as China. Aim of the study: This review focused on the traditional application and modern pharmacological mechanisms of herbal medicine EO against CVDs in preclinical and clinical trials through multi-targets synergy. Besides, the EO and anti-CVDs drugs were compared, and the broad application of EO was explained from the properties of drugs and aromatic administration routes. Materials and methods: Information about EO and CVDs was collected from electronic databases such as Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The obtained data sets were sequentially arranged for better understanding of EO' potential. Results: The study showed that EO had significant application in CVDs at different countries or regions since ancient times. Aiming at the complex pathological mechanisms of CVDs, including intracellular calcium overload, oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular endothelial cell injury and dysfunction and dyslipidemia, we summarized the roles of EO on CVDs in preclinical and clinical through multi-targets intervention. Besides, EO had the dual properties of drug and excipients. And aromatherapy was one of the complementary therapies to improve CVDs. Conclusions: This paper reviewed the EO on traditional treatment, preclinical mechanism and clinical application of CVDs. As important sources of traditional medicines, EO' remarkable efficacy had been confirmed in comprehensive literature reports, which showed that EO had great medicinal potential.

Automated summary

This article reviews the traditional application, preclinical mechanisms, and clinical use of essential oils in cardiovascular diseases. The article highlights the dual properties of essential oils as both drugs and excipients, and discusses the role of aromatherapy in improving cardiovascular diseases.