Essential Oil, Chemical Compositions, and Therapeutic Potential

Abstract

Essential oils-(EOs) are organic compounds derived from aromatic plant sources such as roots, bark, flowers, leaves and seeds. Essential oils were obtained via two different methods of extraction: steam distillation (SD) and water distillation (WD). EOs-therapy, refers to a range of traditional, alternative or complementary therapies that use essential oils from natural products and other aromatic plant compounds. The chemical components composition of EOs depends on the place of origin, climatic conditions, plant species, plant part extracted, and harvesting time. Essential oils are constituted by diversified bioactive constituents, lipophilic and volatile, and in most cases derivatives of terpene compounds and in lower occurrence phenylpropanoids. They have been long recognized for their medicinal uses: antiviral, antibacterial, insecticidal, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. This chapter provides studies on chemical composition, medicinal uses, and benefits of essential oils.