Systematic-Quantitative Evaluation of the Sedative Effect of an Aromatic Component, “<i>Rosa damascena</i>”, Using Integrative Physiological Analysis

Effects of second flush Darjeeling tea aroma on psychological and nervous system activities

“…It is therefore conceivable that the increase in peripheral skin temperature observed after inhalation of the SFDJ aroma is ascribable to the suppression of sympathetic nerve activity and a resultant increase in skin blood flow. As previously reported in the literature, our observation of the increase in miosis rate and peripheral skin temperature after inhalation of SFDJ aroma was comparable to that of Damask rose 19) and Maillard reaction-derived aroma 32) . These results suggest that smelling SFDJ aroma suppresses sympathetic nerve activity, resulting in a relative increase in parasympathetic nerve activity.…”

“…The decrease in cerebral blood flow induced by inhalation of the SFDJ aroma was comparable to that of the already reported Damask rose 19) aroma and Maillard reaction-derived aroma 32) . It has also been reported that pleasant odors are perceived in the left hemisphere of the brain, while unpleasant odors are perceived in the right hemisphere 37) , and that pleasant odors alter the activity pattern of the prefrontal cortex from right to left dominance in response to mental stress 38), 39) .…”

“…Seventeen volunteers subjectively evaluated their preference by sniffing the aroma of extracts of second flush Darjeeling tea (SFDJ; second-picked black tea produced in Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills in the northeast of India), Assam tea (AS; black tea produced in Assam in the southeast of the Himalayas in India), Uva tea (UV; black tea produced in Uva in the highlands of Sri Lanka), and Earl Grey tea (EG; black tea flavored with bergamot essential oil), all of which had different aromas. Aroma preference was evaluated using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) 18), 19) ranging from 0 (minimum preference) to 100 (maximum preference), and black tea with moderate to high preference was selected as the study sample.…”

“…In recent years, as a simpler and more accurate method of evaluating autonomic nervous system activity, an integrative physiological evaluation method has been proposed in which pupillary light reaction reflecting parasympathetic activity, peripheral skin temperature reflecting sympathetic activity, and near-infrared spectroscopy reflecting central nervous system activity are all measured in the same test 9)-11) . The integrative physiological evaluation has revealed that the odors of cedrol, an aroma component derived from coniferous forests 17), 18) , and damask rose 19) have a sedative effect on autonomic and central nervous system activities.…”