Abstract
Objective The aim of this review is to analyze preclinical and clinical studies investigating the anxiety effects of Citrus aurantium or Citrus sinensis essential oils (EOs). Design The bibliographic research was made on the major scientific databases. Analysis included only articles written in English and published on peer-reviewed scientific journals describing preclinical experiments and clinical trials carried out to investigate the antianxiety effects of Citrus aurantium or Citrus sinensis EOs on anxiety disorders. Clinical studies reporting the antianxiety effects of products containing Citrus aurantium or Citrus sinensis EOs in combination with other active substances, including medicinal plants, were excluded. Nine clinical studies fulfilled the criteria adopted for analysis. Results Data show that Citrus aurantium or Citrus sinensis EOs produce anxiolytic effects both in preclinical experiments and in different clinical conditions. Citrus aurantium EO aromatherapy reduced anxiety level in the great part of stress conditions studied (subjects affected by chronic myeloid leukemia and preoperative patients) except for a sample of patients subjected to colonoscopy. Exposition to Citrus sinensis EO in clinical studies shows to be positive in reducing anxiety level in patients waiting for dental treatment as well as in healthy volunteers submitted to an anxiogenic situation. Conclusions Overview of clinical trials conducted with Citrus aurantium or Citrus sinensis on people with anxiety showed that inhalation or oral administration of Citrus aurantium and inhalation of Citrus sinensis can exert beneficial effects on anxiety; however, because of incomplete accuracy in the reporting of methodology, further more complete clinical studies are warranted.
Highlights
Citrus plants derived from the single genus Citrus are largely interbreedable
Results showed that Citrus aurantium essential oil (EO) increased the open arms exploration of male mice submitted to the elevated plus-maze
Inhalation of Citrus sinensis EO in rats submitted to elevated plus-maze followed by the light/dark paradigm produced an increase in open arm exploration (% time spent and % number of entries) in the elevated plus-maze, and of the time spent in the lit chamber of the light/dark test
Summary
Citrus plants derived from the single genus Citrus are largely interbreedable. Among the common names given to the various members of the citrus family, orange often refers to the most popular Citrus sinensis and Citrus aurantium [1]. Products derived from the peel and/or whole dried immature fruit of orange plants have been used to treat several health problems such as gastrointestinal disturbances, respiratory disorders as agent for cough [9,10,11,12], insomnia, stress disorders, epilepsy, and anxiety [12, 13]. Other citrus species such as Citrus bergamia have been described for their effects against stress, psoriasis, and hyperlipidemia [14]. The present article focuses on antianxiety preclinical and clinical effects of the two most common citrus species Citrus aurantium and Citrus sinensis
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