January 13, 2023

Hypertension is one of the most dangerous diseases. However, medicine for hypertension may cause adverse effects. Thus, alternative treatments may be beneficial to patients.

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapy.The odorant molecule of an essential oil binds the receptor and sends a signal to the brain, which is the center controlling body function. Aromatherapy has advantages for both physical and mental health, such as pain relief, insomnia and anxiety reduction, immune function enhancement, and hypertension improvement.  Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) are fragrant plants. The major components of lavender oil are linalool and linalyl acetate, while linalool is the major component of ylang ylang oil. These substances affect the central nervous system, resulting in relaxation and stress reduction  and have a positive association with hypertension therapy.

January 5, 2023

Cinnamon from the bark of Cinnamomum species is one of the most important spices used worldwide in food and as a traditional medicine for centuries. It has substantial benefits for human health including its protective role on cardiovascular diseases. The genus Cinnamomum is widely distributed in the world, with around 250 known species and the main species of commercially cultivated cinnamon are Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon Cinnamon), Cinnamomum burmannii (Korintje Cinnamon), Cinnamomum cassia (Saigon Cinnamon) and Cinnamomum loureiroi (Royal Cinnamon). Ethnobotanical reports state that the most consumed part of the plant is the bark. The main constituents of cinnamon are cinnamaldehyde and trans-cinnamaldehyde that are present in the essential oil. These compounds besides contributing to the cinnamon fragrance have biological properties.

December 25, 2023

Oral candidiasis is an opportunistic infection that affects the oral mucosa; the majority of cases are caused by Candida albicans yeast. It causes creamy white lesions to form on the tongue and inner cheeks and may spread to other areas of the oral cavity. Although, C. albicans is normally found in the mouth, people with compromised immune systems (babies, the elderly, and people who take certain medications or have certain conditions) may experience overgrowth of the fungus causing candidiasis.

November 25, 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is considered to be a major cause of dementia due to the increasing ageing of the population worldwide. It is a disease that severely affects patients’ daily activities, which has a significant impact on society (i.e., families, communities, and healthcare systems). According to estimates from WHO, more than 55 million people are living with dementia, and this number is expected to triple worldwide by 2050. The etiology of cognitive and memory impairment is still not fully understood. What is known so far about the pathogenesis of this disease includes several different causes leading to neurodegeneration, which follow each other and are closely linked.

Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds obtained from a single plant species via steam distillation, dry distillation, or mechanical processes. They are best known for their use in flavours, fragrances, and cosmetics, but have traditionally been used for many other purposes, including religious ceremonies and as therapeutic agents. Their traditional use has led to increasing attention being paid to their biological activity, including their activity at the level of the central nervous system.

November 13, 2023

“Autumn skies and apple pies." Fall is apple picking season, and after you've filled up your basket with the best in the orchard, the only logical thing to do next is to make apple pie.

Apple Pie Slushy

The sweet, fruity in-between of refreshing summer sippin’ and autumn vibes, this slushy recipe boasts an irresistible apple pie flavor enhanced with Cinnamon Bark Vitality™ and Nutmeg Vitality™ essential oils.

November 8, 2023

Entrapment of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel causes the most common type of entrapment neuropathy known as carpal tunnel syndrome. Compression of the median nerve results in tingling and weakness in the hand and arm. The disease has posed a considerable burden worldwide and still remains a problem in healthcare systems. Among available conservative and surgical treatment options, non-surgical treatments such as splinting and steroid therapy are usually used for management of mild and moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. However, their long term effectiveness is under question besides possible complications. 

In recent years, complementary and alternative medicine  has become more popular all around the world. A more recent academically introduced brand of complementary and alternative medicine, Traditional Persian Medicine, has some suggestions including herbal remedies for neuropathic pains such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

October 13, 2020

Ageing is a physiological period of life in which various changes take place, meaning that the elderly individuals must be given special consideration as a group with regard to health care. Negative changes occur in health status and systems with advancing age. Elderly individuals face many complex health problems and negatively affect their quality of life. Constipation is one of the common problems in the elderly individuals.It is estimated that 40% of individuals aged 65 and older experience constipation, which increases to 74% if they live in a nursing home. Left untreated, constipation can cause fecal incontinence, anal fissures, bowel perforation, gas, and bloating. The main non-pharmacological methods commonly used in the treatment of constipation are lifestyle changes, including increasing physical activity, fluid consumption, and fiber consumption. In addition, biofeedback, acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, abdominal   and aromatherapy massage are other preferred methods for constipation management.

October 2, 2023

Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a group of chronic, metabolic diseases, with the main feature of chronic hyperglycemia caused by defects in insulin secretion, insulin efficacy, or, most often, both. According to International Diabetes Federation, DM, as the largest global epidemic of the twenty-first century, affects more than 420 million individuals with constantly increasing prevalence. DM is associated with a high risk of developing serious micro- and macrovascular complications. One of the most serious complications is impaired wound healing, which often leads to the development of chronic wounds and amputations. Wound healing is delayed due to disturbance in each phase of wound healing, i.e., the hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling phases. The altered inflammatory response, decreased collagen content, and oxidative stress also significantly contribute to poor wound healing in patients with DM. Diabetes foot ulcers and a high risk of amputation and mortality can impact patients’ quality of life, life roles, and body image, as well as the financial burden placed on patients and their families. Therefore, proper wound management is crucial for reducing morbidity and improving quality of life. Nowadays, there are many synthetic drugs used for wound treatment; however, their application is associated with the occurrence of allergies, irritations, and other skin complications. Therefore, herbal products have been in the focus of scientific research in recent years due to their great potential efficacy and better safety profile. As proper wound management is crucial to reducing morbidity and improving quality of life, this study evaluated for the first time the wound healing potential of Helichrysum essential oil prepared in the form of ointment and gel.

September 24, 2023

Fifty percent of the world’s population is infected with Helicobacter pylori, which can trigger many gastrointestinal disorders. Although most of the infected people never experience symptoms of disease, there is a risk that some of them may develop a peptic ulcer (approximately 10 to 20% of infected subjects), one quarter (approximately 4.25%) may have serious ulcer complications, while 1 to 2% may progress to gastric cancer. Therefore, the efficient eradication of H. pylori from gastric mucosa is a necessity. Standard treatment is "triple therapy", which consists of two antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor. Even this therapy is not highly effective because H. pylori has developed significant resistance to antibiotics and it can cause adverse side effects. It was assumed that an essential oil mixture, obtained from species from genera Satureja L.(savory), Origanum L.(oregano) and Thymus L.( thyme) and called the HerbELICO^® essential oil mixture, could be useful in H. pylori infection treatment.

September 23, 2023

Migraine is a type of primary neurovascular dysfunction disease, that is characterized by unilateral or bilateral pulsatile pain, and is accompanied by photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms IHS. Studies have shown that several mental, environmental and genetics can influence or induce a migraine.  Patients with migraine experience many social, physical and psychological problems, which seriously affect their quality of life. Currently, the treatment of migraine primarily includes drug therapy, acupuncture therapy, massage therapy and aromatherapy.
The complex pathogenesis of a migraine leads to limitations in a patient's response to drugs, and specific side effects and contraindications have further limited the choice of available drugs to treat this condition. Therefore, patients with migraine have explored alternative treatments such as aromatherapy for alleviation of their symptoms. Aromatherapy is a comfortable and pleasant all-natural therapy that produces a fast and efficient effect against migraine symptoms. Its application has been evidenced in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the records of aromatic plants in the treatment of migraine.