Properties of macerated herbal oil

Abstract

Introduction: The addition of herbs into hot sesame oil could increase the oil-pulling efficiency of sesame oil. The aim of present study was to modify the proportion of herbs and sesame oil with the addition of other ingredients including menthol, camphor, and borneol and improve the medicinal properties and the scent of the oil. Methods: Macerated herbal oil was prepared by heat extraction of five species of herbs (Zingiber cassumunar, Zingiber zerumbet, Plantago major Linn, Citrus hystrix, and Amomum biflorum) with hot sesame oil. The study was performed to evaluate the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties of this macerated herbal oil. Results: Macerated herbal oil was evaluated for antioxidant activity using DPPH and ABTS assays. It was shown that at dilution 1:2 in DMSO, the macerated herbal oil had DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities equal to 63% and 22%, respectively. Macerated herbal oil dilution 1:8 in DMSO demonstrated ferric reducing capacity equivalent to ascorbic acid (0.208 µM) and had reducing power equivalent to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) 7.41 µg/mL. MTT assay was performed using immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs) as a cell culture model. The result indicated that the cytotoxic concentration of the macerated herbal oil was ≥ 2.5 µL/mL in complete DMEM. Anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated using the nitrite assay and RT-PCR. It was found that the macerated herbal oil could inhibit nitrite accumulation in culture media. Change in the expression of COX-2, Nrf2, and NF-kB in RT-PCR confirmed the anti-inflammatory activity of the macerated herbal oil. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the macerated herbal oil could inhibit nitrite accumulation in culture media, which might be the inhibitory effect of the macerated herbal oil on COX-2 or Nrf2, the downstream modulator of the COX-2 pathway. Further intensive studies are needed for the optimization before bringing this macerated herbal oil into clinical application.

Herbal Additives Substantially Modify Antioxidant Properties and Tocopherol Content of Cold-Pressed Oils

“…Herbal macerates are primarily used in cosmetics so far, and the oils used for their preparation are popular edible vegetable oils, most often rapeseed and sunflower oil. It is worth mentioning that before adding the herbal material, the oil is usually heated [ 45 , 46 ], which may result in the loss of valuable properties. Moreover, specialist literature lacks detailed information on the selection of base oils for particular herbal plant species, and above all, there is no analysis of the fatty acid composition and antioxidant content in macerates as compared to the raw materials.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity, Antimicrobial Activity, and Chemical Profile of Coffea robusta Extracts Using Subcritical Fluid Extraction and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction

“…The Folin–Ciocalteu procedure was used to determine the total phenolic contents of the roasted coffee extracts [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. A total of 500 µL of distilled water was mixed with 125 µL of the extract solution at a concentration of 10 mg/mL.…”

Current natural therapies in the treatment against glioblastoma

“…An oil is defined as essential, due to the essence of the fragrance characteristic of the plant where this compound was derived (Kitic et al, ). EOs are usually obtained by physical methods such as distillation (steam, steam/water, and water) or expression, also known as cold pressure (Kantawong et al, ). Another method by which EOs can be obtained is by maceration, which consists of placing the plant in contact with warm water at a temperature higher than the ambient temperature and less at the boiling point, releasing the EO in this fluid (Richter et al, ).…”