Medicinal Essential Oils: Applications and Composition

Medicinal Essential Oils: Applications and Composition

Vietnam is home to numerous pine species, including two-leaved pine, horsetail pine, and three-leaved pine. Pine resin, a product of pine trees, contains essential oil (EO) and colophan. Pine resin is semi-liquid, black, pungent, and has a density greater than 1.

Pine essential oil contains compounds like pinene and carene, which have therapeutic effects for congestion and phosphorus poisoning. Additionally, pine essential oil contains camphor and terpin, beneficial for respiratory support. Colophan is the main component of rosin, a type of pine resin possessing antiseptic properties.

Pine resin is used to treat coughs, disinfect the urinary tract, and make medicinal plasters.

Mint

Asian mint, also known as “cornmint oil,” helps relieve heatstroke without sweating and treats wind-heat. Essential oil extracted from the stem, branches, leaves, and flowers of the mint plant contains menthol. Mint essential oil is used for massage, while menthol has antibacterial, pain-relieving, and soothing properties for bad breath.

European mint contains total menthol, menthone, and menthofuran. European mint essential oil has antispasmodic effects, and the flavonoids in the oil promote bile flow.

Lemongrass Varieties

Java lemongrass, or “Citronella oil,” is extracted from lemongrass leaves. The oil has a pale yellow color and contains citronellal and geraniol. Citronellal can be converted into hydroxycitronelal, a natural ingredient in perfumes.

Rose lemongrass, or “palmarosa oil,” has the highest essential oil concentration when the plant flowers. The oil is pale yellow, has a rose scent, and is used in tobacco production. The main component of rose lemongrass oil is geraniol.

Lemon lemongrass, or “lemongrass oil,” contains citral and methytheptenon, creating the characteristic fragrance of this lemongrass variety. Citral is used to synthesize vitamin A.

Cajeput

Cajeput, or “cajeput oil,” is extracted from the branches and leaves of the tree. Cajeput essential oil is deep green and contains cineol and terpineol. Cajeput leaves are used to treat wind-cold and phlegm cough. Cajeput essential oil is used for wound and burn healing. The terpineol in the oil has strong antibacterial properties.

Camphor

Camphor essential oil is extracted from the wood and leaves of the tree. The essential oil concentration decreases from the base to the top of the tree. Camphor essential oil contains camphor, a substance that stimulates the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and respiration. Camphor is also used as a household antiseptic. Camphor essential oil has the ability to absorb heavy metals.

Wormseed

Wormseed oil is extracted from the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit of the plant. The essential oil contains ascaridol, a substance that kills roundworms and hookworms. Note that wormseed oil is toxic to children under 5, pregnant women, and people with liver and kidney disease.

Ginger

Fresh ginger is divided into young ginger and old ginger, known as “sheng jiang.” Dried ginger is old ginger, known as “gan jiang,” “grey ginger,” or “white ginger” (after removing the peel). Dried ginger is ground into cary powder.

Ginger essential oil, or “Ginger oil,” contains compounds ?-zinggiberen, arcurcumen, and ?-farnesen, which provide the aroma and reduce the spiciness of ginger. Ginger oleoresin, processed from dry ginger powder, contains essential oil and pungent substances like zingerol, zingeron, and shagaol.

Sheng jiang has the effect of dispersing wind-cold, warming the abdomen and limbs, and transforming phlegm. Gan jiang has the effects of warming the middle and returning yang, regulating diarrhea and vomiting, warming the stomach and stopping bleeding, and treating bleeding due to cold deficiency.

Turmeric

Turmeric essential oil, or “turmeric oil,” contains turmeron and ?-curcumen. Turmeric oleoresin contains essential oil and curcumin. Turmeric is used as a spice, providing color and aroma to food. Crystallized yellow curcumin has therapeutic effects for rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory inflammation, and antioxidant activity.

Artemisia annua

The leaves of Artemisia annua are used as medicine, food, and for essential oil extraction. The leaves contain sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin, a crystalline substance not found in essential oil, which has anti-malarial effects.

Patchouli

Patchouli leaves are used to extract “patchouli oil.” Patchouli essential oil contains patchouli alcohol, a component used in perfumes.

Patchouli has the effects of warming and spicy, relieving heatstroke, clearing heat in the spleen and stomach due to fullness, and reducing vomiting.

Clove

Clove buds contain 15-20% essential oil. Clove buds are used as medicine and should sink when placed in water. Clove essential oil, or “clove oil,” is yellow to yellowish-brown and contains eugenol (98%). Eugenol has the effect of killing dental pulp and is used to make zinc eugenate, a dental filling material.

Clove has the effects of warming the spleen and stomach, assisting yang, treating spleen and stomach deficiency and hiccups, and reducing vomiting.

Perilla

Perilla essential oil is yellow to yellowish-brown and contains eugenol (over 70%). The oil is used to distill eugenol, massage, and treat colds.

Star Anise

Star anise fruits contain 9% essential oil. Star anise essential oil has the effects of promoting lactation, reducing intestinal peristalsis, and supporting digestion. Star anise oil, or “STAR ANIS OIL,” has a sweet taste and contains trans anethol. Trans anethol has similar effects to estrogen diethylstilbestrol. Shikimic acid is extracted from star anise fruits to synthesize Tamiflu, a drug for treating avian influenza.

Star anise has the effects of spicy and warm, warming the middle and expelling cold, treating pain and stiffness in the joints, and sprains.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon bark is called cinnamon bark, and cinnamon branches are called cinnamon twigs.

Vietnamese cinnamon has “cassia oil” that contains cinnamic aldehyde and cinnamyl acetate. Cinnamic aldehyde and cinnamyl acetate reduce the value of the essential oil. Vietnamese cinnamon essential oil has the effects of constricting blood vessels, increasing intestinal peristalsis, contracting the uterus, and inhibiting fungi.

Sri Lankan cinnamon has “cinnamon bark oil” that contains cinnamic aldehyde (less than Vietnamese cinnamon) and eugenol (the main component in cinnamon leaves). Sri Lankan cinnamon essential oil is commonly used as a spice.