Hydrosol beverages in Persian nutrition culture and ethnomedicine are the side products of essential oil industry that are used as delicious drinks or safe remedies. To investigate indications and chemical composition of hydrosol beverages for hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular conditions, Fars province was selected as the field of study. Ethnomedical data were gathered by questionnaires. The constituents of hydrosols were extracted with liquid/liquid extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis were used to cluster their constituents and find the relevance of their composition. A literature survey was also performed on plants used to prepare them. Thymol was the major or second major component of these beverages, except for wormwood and olive leaf hydrosols. Based on clustering methods, although some similarities could be found, composition of barberry, will fumitory, dill, and aloe hydrosols have more differences than others. These studies may help in developing some functional beverages or new therapeutics.

BackgroundWalnut hydrosol (WH) is used extensively by Iranian people with diabetes in order to control blood sugar (BS). There are few data regarding the effect of walnut on controlling diabetes.ObjectivesA pilot study to determine the efficacy and safety of WH in patients with type 1 diabetes.Materials and MethodsEight patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1 were enrolled in the study. They did not use any medicine except insulin. They were advised to drink 250 mL WH after meals twice a day for four weeks. Their BS level was measured and their insulin dose was changed according to their BS. After four weeks, they discontinued WH use and their BS level was checked for two weeks. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. Also, the essential oil of the sample was extracted using a liquid extractor and then analysis of the constituents was performed.ResultsThe average daily BS level and insulin dose decreased in seven subjects. Two subjects developed generalized pruritic erythematous skin rash. One patient presented hypoglycemic coma. She had no other coma risk factor. Seven compounds were identified in the walnut essential oil and the rate of monoterpenoid and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons were 53.45% and 5.95%, respectively. The main constituents of the oil were carvacrol (33.21%), thymol (16%) and homoveratrole (15.83%).ConclusionsWH may control the glycemic level in people with diabetes, but it may be associated with minor and major side effects. Further in vitro studies, using these seven compounds, are recommended to determine the efficacy and complications of WH in people with diabetes.

Hydrosol soft drinks in Persian nutrition culture are produced as side products of the essential oil industry to be used as safe remedies for treatment of some ailments. This study investigated hydrosols for women’s hormonal health conditions. Detailed information was gathered by questionnaires. Chemical constituents of these mono- or poly-herbal hydrosols were identified after liquid/liquid extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Hierarchical cluster and K-means analysis (SPSS software) were used to find their relevance. A literature survey was also performed. In most cases, thymol, carvacrol, and carvone were the major constituents except for dill, white horehound, willow, Moderr, and yarrow hydrosols, whose their major components were dill ether, menthol, phenethyl alcohol, linalool, or camphor. Based on clustering methods, some similarities could be found in their constituents with some exceptions. None of them have been studied scientifically before. These investigations may lead to the development of some functional drinks or even new lead components.

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