Abstract
This commentary critically examines the modern paradigm of natural volatiles in ‘medical aromatherapy’, first by explaining the semantics of natural volatiles in health, then by addressing chemophenetic challenges to authenticity or reproducibility, and finally by elaborating on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in food, therapy, and disease prophylaxis. Research over the last 50 years has generated substantial knowledge of the chemical diversity of volatiles, and their strengths and weaknesses as antimicrobial agents. However, due to modest in vitro outcomes, the emphasis has shifted toward the ability to synergise or potentiate non-volatile natural or pharmaceutical drugs, and to modulate gene expression by binding to the lipophilic domain of mammalian cell receptors. Because essential oils and natural volatiles are small and lipophilic, they demonstrate high skin penetrating abilities when suitably encapsulated, or if derived from a dietary item they bioaccumulate in fatty tissues in the body. In the skin or body, they may synergise or drive de novo therapeutic outcomes that range from anti-inflammatory effects through to insulin sensitisation, dermal rejuvenation, keratinocyte migration, upregulation of hair follicle bulb stem cells or complementation of anti-cancer therapies. Taking all this into consideration, volatile organic compounds should be examined as candidates for prophylaxis of cardiovascular disease. Considering the modern understanding of biology, the science of natural volatiles may need to be revisited in the context of health and nutrition.
Highlights
The modern culture of aesthetic aromas and volatile organic compounds in human health is polarised by controversiality, with the prevailing criticism being the lack of scientific credibility
The prevailing view in western societies is that aromatherapy is limited to either massaging with essential oils or the inhalation of plant-derived volatile organic compounds to achieve mood altering effects
The two are not mutually exclusive, medical aromatherapy practitioners are not restricted to the use of essential oils because volatile organic compounds are present in aromatic extracts, such as supercritical CO2 extracts of aromatic leaves (Damjanovic et al, 2006; Wenqiang et al, 2007), or aromatic fat extracts familiar to the French practice of enfleurage
Summary
The modern culture of aesthetic aromas and volatile organic compounds in human health is polarised by controversiality, with the prevailing criticism being the lack of scientific credibility. ‘the objective of achieving a health benefit from topical application, oral administration, or inhalation of a natural product mixture that includes at least one “active” or “coactive” volatile organic compound In this definition it is explained that medical aromatherapy can be achieved by using raw aromatic plants, as crushed leaves or extracts, to achieve therapeutic effects (Sadgrove, 2020b), as an alternative to hydrodistilled essential oils. The two are not mutually exclusive, medical aromatherapy practitioners are not restricted to the use of essential oils because volatile organic compounds are present in aromatic extracts, such as supercritical CO2 extracts of aromatic leaves (Damjanovic et al, 2006; Wenqiang et al, 2007), or aromatic fat extracts familiar to the French practice of enfleurage In this scenario the volatile compounds are not necessarily the sole driver of efficacy because plant organs and extracts contain other families of metabolites, i.e., the chemical diversity of whole aromatic plants includes volatile and non-volatile ingredients that may achieve combined effects (potentiation, synergism, or additive) in the context of medical aromatherapy (Langat et al, 2021; Nsangou et al, 2021). Essential oils are mixtures of volatile organic compounds that have been separated by distillation from aromatic species, including bryophytes, such as liverworts (Asakawa and Ludwiczuk, 2013), and higher plants
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