Agarwood (Aquilaria/Gyrinops) underpins high-value fragrance, medicinal, and conservation agendas, yet its knowledge structure is scattered across disciplines. We mapped the global research landscape to clarify productivity, influence, collaboration, and evolving themes. Scopus records (1959–2025; English; articles) were exported and cleaned. Descriptive and network analyses were performed in Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny (R), VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. We examined annual output/citations, leading sources, authors, institutions, and countries; co-authorship and international collaboration; co-word networks, thematic maps, and evolution; Bradford’s Law of source dispersion; bibliographic coupling of journals; and CiteSpace burst detection (2021–2025). The dataset comprises 1,155 articles from 517 sources, authored by 2,889 researchers (5.66 co-authors/document; 14.2% international). Output grew at 7.18%/year, accelerating after 2000. China dominates productivity and collaboration, followed by Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Japan, and Thailand; citation impact is concentrated in East/Southeast Asia. Bradford analysis shows a core zone led by molecules, phytochemistry, and fitoterapia. Bibliographic coupling reveals four fronts: forestry/applied plant science; phytochemistry/natural products; pharmacology/phytochemical analysis; and ethnomedicine. Co-word analysis highlights frequent terms—agarwood, Thymelaeaceae, Aquilaria sinensis, unclassified drug—and three clusters (botanical–chemical; methodological/structural; biological/experimental). Thematic maps trace a transition from structural phytochemistry to translational pharmacology, biosynthesis/induction, and sustainability. Trend topics shift toward essential oils, leaf/quality studies, and species-specific work. CiteSpace (2021–2025) detects bursts in Gyrinops versteegii , in vivo/comparative studies, chemical analysis, essential oils, and genes, indicating current frontiers. Highly cited documents act as bridges across clusters. Agarwood research is expanding, interdisciplinary, and increasingly application oriented. Core chemistry remains central, while conservation genomics, induced biosynthesis, and computational/quality-assessment approaches are rising. The study consolidates scattered evidence, identifies pivotal venues and actors, and points to future needs: standardized analytics, multi-omics with metabolomics, sustainable agroforestry trials, and clinical translation of bioactive constituents. • Global mapping of 1,155 agarwood studies reveals Asia’s research dominance. • China leads global agarwood scholarship, driving collaboration and innovation. • Thematic evolution shows shift from phytochemistry to biotechnology focus. • Emerging research trends integrate AI, molecular docking, and agroforestry. • Bibliometric insights guide sustainable agarwood conservation and utilization.

Phytochemical characterization and toxicological evaluation of Myrciaria pilosa leaf essential oil using experimental and computational strategies.

Rice blast, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most devastating diseases on rice worldwide. The effectiveness of chemical fungicides is being increasingly challenged by pathogen resistance and environmental pollution, underscoring the urgent need for eco-friendly biocontrol alternatives. Herein, we report the antifungal potential of bioactive components in Saussurea costus against M. oryzae infection and explore the underlying mechanism. Essential oil (EO) from Saussurea costus roots was screened from the plant EOs library, and exhibited excellent preventive effects against M. oryzae at a concentration of 100 μg mL-1. Bio-guided isolation of Saussurea costus EO identified dehydrocostus lactone (DHLC) as the active ingredient. The chemical structure of DHLC was determined through spectroscopic analyses. DHLC displayed potent antifungal activity, with half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of 17.76 μg mL-1 and 9.88 μg mL-1 against conidial germination and appressorium formation, respectively. DHLC disrupted cell wall integrity and membrane permeability and inhibited autophagy in M. oryzae. DHLC also demonstrated broad-spectrum protective effects against several other species of phytopathogenic fungi. The results of our study demonstrate that DHLC isolated from Saussurea costus roots prevents rice blast disease by inhibiting the infection-related morphogenesis of M. oryzae, highlighting its potential as an alternative bioagent to control fungal diseases in plants. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Seasonal and circadian dynamics of Ageratum conyzoides essential oil and its application in tick control.

Mechanistically Informed and Omics-Guided Essential Oil Applications for Food Preservation.

This study developed a novel synergistic antibacterial system combining ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) and oregano essential oil (OEO) as a natural, non-thermal preservation strategy for fruits. Among ε-PL combinations with seven different essential oils, OEO exhibited the strongest synergistic interaction, significantly enhancing antibacterial efficacy, compared to individual agents, likely through disruption of bacterial cell membranes and leakage of intracellular components. This effect was validated through integrated in vitro assays, in vivo application on strawberries, and in silico molecular docking analysis, which showed a binding energy of -7.8kcal/mol. The ε-PL/OEO treatment reduced total viable counts to < 3.0 log CFU/g and extended shelf life by 5 days at room temperature. Furthermore, the treatment effectively preserved key quality parameters, including pH (2.69), titratable acidity (0.493%), total soluble solids (7.4 °Brix), and reducing sugars (0.772g/100g), while minimizing weight loss to < 2.0%. These findings demonstrate that the ε-PL/OEO combination represents a promising, sustainable alternative to synthetic preservatives, offering enhanced microbial safety and improved quality retention in perishable fruits.

As a globally known medicinal and aromatic herb, Artemisia argyi (A. argyi) has excellent health benefit and economic value, especially in the field of anti-pathogenic microorganisms. At present, pathogens such as parasites, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, pose a serious threat to human health and environmentally friendly, becoming a substantial global medical burden. Researchers worldwide are focusing on developing natural antibacterial drugs. Thereinto, we collected data on the pharmacological effects of A. argyi on pathogenic microorganisms from ancient Chinese herbal texts and medical books, and the publications referring to the effects of A. argyi on bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other pathogenic microorganisms from 2005 to 2025. Simultaneously, patent searches were conducted to explore the development and utilization of the anti-pathogenic activity of A. argyi in various fields over the past 20 years. We found that A. argyi has excellent efficacy and extensive practical applications against pathogenic microorganisms. Modern studies have confirmed its inhibitory effects on common bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; human and crop pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger; and viruses such as herpes zoster virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and hepatitis B virus. Moreover, the development and application of anti-pathogenic activity of A. argyi are broad. In brief, this study provides perspectives for fully utilizing the advantages of A. argyi in anti-pathogenic effect, and supporting its potential for functional product development and applications in the fields of daily health products, agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry.

Background: In order to cure newly emerging human illnesses, plant extracts and volatile oils with antimicrobial action against bacteria were employed. This is because medically important plants have substantial phytochemical classes with therapeutic characteristics. Objectives: This study aims to enhance antibiotic efficacy by combining substitute natural compounds to eradicate resistant bacteria, reducing disease transmission and making treatment difficult. Methodology: The investigation involved 72 clinical samples, including blood, abscesses, wounds, and bedsores. Clinical isolates were identified using Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, and antibiotic sensitivity was assessed using NCCLS guidelines. SDS PAGE profiles were used to analyze cell protein profiles. Results: The majority of clinical bacterial isolates (52.77%) are Staphylococcus aureus, which is followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Norfloxacin has a 59.72% sensitivity against clinical bacterial isolates, followed by amikacin and chloramphenicol, whereas penicillin and cefoperazone have no effect on these isolates. The difference between norfloxacin's MIC and MBC was highly significant (p < 0.01 HS). The most potent antibacterial action was shown by clove extract and clove volatile oil. Clove extract and norfloxacin together exhibit synergistic suppression of clinical bacterial isolates. Protein bands of the bacteria before and after treatment were different for the control and norfloxacin clove extract-stressed bacterial isolates. Conclusions: This study investigates antibacterial properties of medicinal plants, aiming to prevent drug resistance and develop strategies for future antibiotic synthesis through structural clarification.

Chuanminshen violaceum (Apiaceae) as a medicinal-and-edible resource: phytochemical diversity, bioactivities, and routes to standardized products.

Data-Driven Prediction of Microbiological Quality in Oregano-Active Packaged Gilthead Sea Bream Fillets using Noninvasive Spectroscopy and Machine Learning.

Lemongrass essential oil attenuates nasal hyperresponsiveness induced by Japanese cedar pollen in mice.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-026-02184-y.

Chilled beef preservation by quaternized areca-husk cellulose nanocrystals and oregano essential oil encapsulated in a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 in synthesized composite films.

Investigation of the safety profile of the essential oil of Piper guineense (Schum and Thonn) fruit following repeated dose administration in Wistar rats

Cinnamon essential oils as natural antifungal agents for food preservation

Transcriptomic changes of starch and sugar conversion during storage of potato tubers treated with citronella essential oil

Optimized chitosan/alginate–CNC biocomposite coating loaded with ginger essential oil for papaya preservation

Lavender essential oil as a novel anticoccidial agent: First report from in-vitro and in-vivo studies of Lavandula angustifolia flowering plant grown in the Kashmir Himalayas.

Intelligent bilayer films based on polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan for efficient preservation and real-time freshness indication of beef.

Hydrophobic modification of chitosan-carrageenan film with cinnamon essential oil Pickering emulsion: Improving mechanical properties and fresh-keeping effect on blueberry