Essential oils and functional herbs for healthy aging

Abstract

As total life expectancy increases, the prevalence of age-related diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease is also increasing. Many hypotheses about Alzheimer’s disease have been developed, including cholinergic neuron damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Acetylcholine is a major neurotransmitter in the brain and cholinergic deficits leads to cognitive dysfunction and decline. Recent studies have linked diabetes as a risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The incidence of patients with type II diabetes and increased levels and activity of α-amylase is higher in patients with dementia. It has been shown that aromatherapy with essential oils from the mint family can improve cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Selected monoterpenoids from these essential oils are reported to inhibit acetylcholinesterase, both in vitro and in vivo . Terpenoids are small, fat-soluble organic molecules that can transfer across nasal mucosa if inhaled, or penetrate through the skin after topical application, enter into the blood and cross the blood-brain barrier. Recent evidence supports the idea that the common constituents of essential oils also inhibit α-amylase, a starch digestive enzyme that plays an important role in the control of diabetes. The mint family is a fragrant plant family that contains most of the culinary herbs found in the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, and is found to be beneficial not only for the heart but also for the brain. Herbs used in this diet are rich in antioxidants that can prevent oxidative damage caused by free radicals. However, our study shows that they also contain biologically active compounds with potent α-amylase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. Consumption of fresh herbs can help boost memory and reduce sugar levels in the body. The use of herbs as a functional food could lead to significant improvements in health. Cognitive stimulation with medical food and medical herbs could delay development of cognitive decline, and improve the quality of life of Alzheimer’s disease patients. This effect can be enhanced if combined with aromatherapy, topically or by inhalation, and/or by ingestion. Terpenes and terpenoids, the primary constituents of these essential oils are small, lipid soluble organic molecules that can be absorbed through the skin or across nasal mucosa into the systemic blood circulation. Many terpenes can also cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, topical application or inhalation of essential oils will also produce a systemic effect.

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Thyme, Hemp and Coriander Extracts: A Comparison Study of Maceration, Soxhlet, UAE and RSLDE Techniques

“…Both carvacrol and linalool are natural effective antimicrobials used to control the growth of spoilage microorganisms in food as demonstrated in some studies in literature [ 33 , 34 ]. They have been reported to have also therapeutic properties (e.g., vs. Alzheimer’s disease) [ 35 ].…”

Essential Oil Quality and Purity Evaluation via FT-IR Spectroscopy and Pattern Recognition Techniques

“…Additionally, the rising prevalence of age-and stress-related health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and anxiety, is creating more demand for 2 of 12 beneficial essential oils in aromatherapy applications. Unfortunately, the high therapeutic properties and market values of essential oils [1][2][3] make them ideal candidates for potential counterfeiting or adulteration with low-quality, cheap alternatives [4,5].…”

Hyphenated TLC as a Tool in the Effect-Directed Discovery of Bioactive Natural Products

“…As an open chromatographic system, HPTLC is compatible with microbial (bacteria and yeast) and biochemical (enzyme) derivatization methods (Table 1). It is possible to run direct in situ bioassays on the plate without much effort, since the mobile phase evaporates from the HPTLC plate before the application of cells or enzymes, thereby improving their effectiveness [4] as cell viability and enzyme inhibitory assays can be affected by organic solvents present in the mobile phase. A combination of HPTLC with bioassays enables the effect-directed, high-throughput screening and bioprofiling of complex botanical extracts.…”