Natural volatile oils derived from herbal medicines: A promising therapy way for treating depressive disorder

Pharmacol Res. 2021 Feb:164:105376. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105376. Epub 2020 Dec 11.

Abstract

Depression is a common global mental disorder that seriously harms human physical and mental health. With the development of society, the increase of pressure and the role of various other factors make the incidence of depression increase year by year. However, there is a lack of drugs that have a fast onset, significant effects, and few side effects. Some volatile oils from traditional natural herbal medicines are usually used to relieve depression and calm emotions, such as Lavender essential oil and Acorus tatarinowii essential oil. It was reported that these volatile oils, are easy to enter the brain through the blood-brain barrier and have good antidepressant effects with little toxicity and side effects. In this review, we summarized the classification of depression, and listed the history of using volatile oils to fight depression in some countries. Importantly, we summarized the anti-depressant natural volatile oils and their monomers from herbal medicine, discussed the anti-depressive mechanisms of the volatile oils from natural medicine. The volatile oils of natural medicine and antidepressant drugs were compared and analyzed, and the application of volatile oils was explained from the clinical use and administration routes. This review would be helpful for the development of potential anti-depressant medicine and provide new alternative treatments for depressive disorders.

Keywords: (E)-β-Ocimene(PubChem CID: 5281553); 1,2-Dithiole(PubChem CID: 525331); 1,8-Cineole(PubChem CID: 2758); 1-Tetradecanol(PubChem CID: 8209); 1-Undecanol(PubChem CID: 8184); 2-Heptenal(PubChem CID: 5283316); 2-Propenoic acid(PubChem CID: 6581); 3-Eicosyne(PubChem CID: 549159); 3-Methylene-Nonane(PubChem CID: 550804); 4-Methyl-1-propan-2-ylcyclohex-3-en-1-ol(PubChem CID: 11230); 5-Cyclodecadiene(PubChem CID: 12955919); Acid-3-methylbut-2-enyl ester(PubChem CID: 531060); Aldehyde(PubChem CID: 177); Allyl disulfide(PubChem CID: 16590); Allyl trisulfide(PubChem CID: 16315); Benzyl Benzoate(PubChem CID: 2345); Bicyclogermacrene(PubChem CID: 5315347); Borneol(PubChem CID: 64685); Bornyl acetate(PubChem CID: 93009); Camphene(PubChem CID: 6616); Camphor(PubChem CID: 2537); Carvacrol(PubChem CID: 10364); Carveol(PubChem CID: 7438); Carvone(PubChem CID: 7439); Caryophyllene oxide(PubChem CID: 1742210); Caryophyllene(PubChem CID: 5281515); Cinnamaldehyde diethyl acetal(PubChem CID: 5356250); Cinnamaldehyde(PubChem CID: 637511); Cis-cinnamaldehyde(PubChem CID: 6428995); Cis-lanceol(PubChem CID: 6536796); Cis-methylisoeugenol(PubChem CID: 1549045); Cis-rose oxide(PubChem CID: 1712087); Citronellol(PubChem CID: 8842); Citronellyl propionate(PubChem CID: 8834); Cortisol(PubChem CID: 5754); Depression; Diallyl tetrasulfide(PubChem CID: 75552); Elemicin(PubChem CID: 10248); Ethyl oleate(PubChem CID: 5363269); Eucalyptol(PubChem CID: 2758); Eugenol(PubChem CID: 3314); Farnesen-15-ol(PubChem CID: 129848395); Farnesol(PubChem CID: 445070); Geraniol(PubChem CID: 637566); Germacrene D(PubChem CID: 5317570); Glutamate(PubChem CID: 14598502); Heptane(PubChem CID: 8900); Humulene oxide(PubChem CID: 22559443); Isobaimuxinol(PubChem CID: 128735); Isobutyl cinnamate(PubChem CID: 778574); Isomenthone(PubChem CID: 6432469); Lavandulyl acetate(PubChem CID: 30247); Ledene(PubChem CID: 10910653); Limonene(PubChem CID: 22311); Linalool(PubChem CID: 6549); Linalyl acetate(PubChem CID: 8294); Linalyl butyrate(PubChem CID: 62321); Longifolene(PubChem CID: 289151); Mechanism; Methyl eugenol(PubChem CID: 7127); Methyl-cyclohexane(PubChem CID: 7962); Myristicin(PubChem CID: 4276); Myrtenyl acetate(PubChem CID: 61262); N-nonane(PubChem CID: 8141); Natural medicine volatile oils; Nerol(PubChem CID: 643820); Nerolidol(PubChem CID: 5284507); Neryl acetate(PubChem CID: 1549025); O-Methoxycinnamaldehyde (PubChem CID: 15173); O-cymene(PubChem CID: 10703); Octacosane(PubChem CID: 12408); Octadecane (PubChem CID: 11635); Octyl acetate(PubChem CID: 8164); P-cymene(PubChem CID: 7463); Patchouli alcohol(PubChem CID: 10955174); Perillaldehyde(PubChem CID: 16441); Pinocarvone(PubChem CID: 121719); Route of administration; Sabinene(PubChem CID: 18818); Seychellene(PubChem CID: 519743); Spathulenol(PubChem CID: 92231); T-decylacetat(PubChem CID: 21583942); Terpinen-4-o(PubChem CID: 68749986); Thymol(PubChem CID: 6989); Trans-cinnamaldehyde(PubChem CID: 637511); Trans-methylisoeugenol(PubChem CID: 637776); Trans-β-farnesene(PubChem CID: 5281517); Vanillin(PubChem CID: 1183); Verticiol(PubChem CID: 5377475); Viridiflorol(PubChem CID: 11996452); α-Asarone(PubChem CID: 636822); α-Bergamotene(PubChem CID: 86608); α-Bisabolene(PubChem CID: 5352653); α-Cadinol(PubChem CID: 10398656); α-Calacorene(PubChem CID: 12302243); α-Caryophyllene(PubChem CID: 23204); α-Humulene(PubChem CID: 5281520); α-Kessyl alcohol(PubChem CID: 318771); α-Phellandrene(PubChem CID: 7460); α-Pinene(PubChem CID: 6654); α-Terpinene(PubChem CID: 7462); β-Asarone(PubChem CID: 5281758); β-Caryophyllene(PubChem CID: 5281515); β-Elemene(PubChem CID: 6918391); β-Farnesene(PubChem CID: 5281517); β-Gurjunene(PubChem CID: 6450812); β-Ocimene(PubChem CID: 18756); β-Pinene(PubChem CID: 14896); γ-Aminobutyric acid(PubChem CID: 119); γ-Asarone(PubChem CID: 636750); γ-Cadinene(PubChem CID: 6432404); γ-terpinen(PubChem CID: 7461); δ-Cadinene(PubChem CID: 441005); δ-Elemene(PubChem CID: 12309449).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antidepressive Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antidepressive Agents / chemistry
  • Antidepressive Agents / classification
  • Depression / classification
  • Depression / drug therapy*
  • Depressive Disorder / classification
  • Depressive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Humans
  • Oils, Volatile / administration & dosage*
  • Oils, Volatile / chemistry
  • Oils, Volatile / classification
  • Phytotherapy
  • Plant Oils / administration & dosage*
  • Plant Oils / chemistry
  • Plant Oils / classification
  • Plants, Medicinal

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Oils, Volatile
  • Plant Oils