We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Assessing the Metabolic Effects of Aromatherapy in Human Volunteers.
- Authors
Yinan Zhang; Yani Wu; Tianlu Chen; Lei Yao; Jiajian Liu; Xiaolan Pan; Yixue Hu; Aihua Zhao; Guoxiang Xie; Wei Jia
- Abstract
Aromatherapy, a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that uses essential oils through inhalation, is believed to enhance physical and spiritual conditions. Although clinical studies suggest that the use of essential oils may have therapeutic potential, evidence for the efficacy of aromatherapy in treating medical conditions remains poor, with a particular lack of studies employing rigorous analytical methods that capture its identifiable impact on human biology. Here, we report a comprehensive metabolomics study that reveals metabolic changes in people after exposed to aroma inhalation for 10 continuous days. In this study, the metabolic alterations in urine of 31 females with mild anxiety symptoms exposed to aerial diffusion of aromas were measured by GC-TOF-MS and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analyses. A significant alteration of metabolic profile in subjects responsive to essential oil was found, which is characterized by the increased levels of arginine, homocysteine, and betaine, as well as decreased levels of alcohols, carbohydrates, and organic acids in urine. Notably, the metabolites from tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and gut microbial metabolism were significantly altered. This study demonstrates that the metabolomics approach can capture the subtle metabolic changes resulting from exposure to essential oils, which may lead to an improved mechanistic understanding of aromatherapy.
- Subjects
AROMATHERAPY; ESSENTIAL oils; METABOLISM; RESEARCH funding; VOLUNTEERS
- Publication
Evidence-based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (eCAM), 2013, Vol 2013, p1
- ISSN
1741-427X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1155/2013/356381