State of the art and major clinical outcomes of the use of essential oils in the performance of athletes: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Essential oils (EOs) has been around for years and studies show that they are useful in treating various diseases and improving health. According to the United States OEs Handbook, OEs are a vital part of complementary and alternative medicine and the positive findings of OEs are now becoming a trend in sports performance research for athletes. Objective: It was to list the main scientific findings of clinical studies on the effectiveness of essential oils in improving the health and sports performance of athletes. Methods: A total of 195 articles were found involving clinical studies of the influence of essential oils on human health. After this process, 42 articles were included and 32 were discussed in this study. The present study was prepared following the systematic review guidelines – PRISMA. Results and Conclusion: Essential oils have been used in medicine for decades and have been proven to eliminate toxins from the body. They are also shown to improve the body's ability to absorb essential vitamins and nutrients. In this sense, the application of these oils not only helps to prevent and heal sports injuries but also to stimulate and relax the mind and body, leading to higher levels of fitness. Because of these inherent properties of EOs, there is growing interest in using them to tone the body and mind in a variety of ways, such as musculoskeletal preparation, injury prevention, and improving mood and performance to achieve a higher success rate in sports. sports and fitness, as well as post-exertion recovery. They can be used as an aid to make recovery faster, reducing the effect of fatigue and raising the energy level of the mind and body.