Essential Oils and Clinical Aromatherapy

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

Essential oils (EOs) are very interesting natural products and among other qualities they possess various biological properties. The term biological comprises to all activities that these mixtures of volatile compounds (mainly mono- and sesquiterpenoids, phenylpropanoids, etc.) exert on humans. EOs are used for their therapeutic action, for flavouring, in perfumery, or as starting materials for the synthesis of other compounds. For therapeutic purposes they are administered as inhalations (e.g. eucalyptus oil), orally (e.g. peppermint oil) and transdermally (e.g. rosmary oil). Oils with a high phenol content, for instance thyme and clove, have antiseptic properties, whereas others are used as carrminatives. Oils showing antispasmodic activity, and much used in popular medicine, are those of melissa, peppermint, chamomile, fennel, caraway and orange. Furthermore, in traditional medicine, EOs are also well-known for their analeptic, antimicrobial, antinociceptive, antiphlogistic, antioxidative and sedative activities. All terpenoids easily enter the human body by oral absorption, penetration through the skin, or inhalation very often leading to measurable blood concentrations. The aim of this course is to introduce the most important medicinal plants containing essential oils and their medicinal role in the therapy and the clinical aromatherapy. We would like to highlight their appropriate use, their profiles, but to call students' attention to the cautions and contraindications of EOs, as well.

Lectures

• 1. Introduction of the course requirements. Definition of aromatherapy and clinical aromatherapy. - Horváth Györgyi
• 2. Advantages and disadvantages of the application of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 3. History of the use of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 4. Biological activities of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 5. Sources of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 6. Chemistry of essential oils. Chemical composition of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 7. Extraction techniques of essential oils: water-steam distillation, enfleurage, expression, supercritical fluid extraction. Gas chromatographic analysis of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 8. Extraction techniques of essential oils: water-steam distillation, enfleurage, expression, supercritical fluid extraction. Gas chromatographic analysis of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 9. Drugs containing essential oils in the European Pharmacopoeia and in the ESCOP Monograph. - Horváth Györgyi
• 10. Quality of essential oils according to the official Pharmacopoeias. - Horváth Györgyi
• 11. External application of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 12. The most important base oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 13. Physiological effects of essential oils. Metabolism of essential oil components in animal models and humans. - Horváth Györgyi
• 14. Contraindications. - Horváth Györgyi
• 15. Written test I - Horváth Györgyi
• 16. Written test I - Horváth Györgyi
• 17. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils. In vitro methods. - Horváth Györgyi
• 18. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils. In vivo methods. - Horváth Györgyi
• 19. Description of essential oils I: their main components and medicinal use. Peppermint oil, lemon oil, citronella oil, pine oil, lavender oil. - Horváth Györgyi
• 20. Description of essential oils I: their main components and medicinal use. Peppermint oil, lemon oil, citronella oil, pine oil, lavender oil. - Horváth Györgyi
• 21. Description of essential oils II: their main components and medicinal use. Clary sage oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil, clove oil, thyme oil, chamomile oil. - Horváth Györgyi
• 22. Description of essential oils II: their main components and medicinal use. Clary sage oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil, clove oil, thyme oil, chamomile oil. - Horváth Györgyi
• 23. Description of essential oils II.: their main components and medicinal use. Cinnamon oil, bitter and sweet orange oil, anise oil, carraway oil, eucalyptus oil, sweet fennel oil, spearmint oil. - Horváth Györgyi
• 24. Description of essential oils II.: their main components and medicinal use. Cinnamon oil, bitter and sweet orange oil, anise oil, carraway oil, eucalyptus oil, sweet fennel oil, spearmint oil. - Horváth Györgyi
• 25. Safety guidelines of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 26. Safety guidelines of essential oils. - Horváth Györgyi
• 27. Written test II - Horváth Györgyi
• 28. Written test II - Horváth Györgyi

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

PowerPoint presentations prepared by lecturers.

Notes

Recommended literature

1. Evans W.C.: Trease and Evans Pharmacognosy, Saunders, London, New York, 2000

2. Tisserand R., Balacs T.: Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, Churchill Livingstone, 1995

3. Tisserand R., Young R: Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, Second edition, Churchill Livingstone, 2013

Baser C.H, Buchbauer G.: Handbook of Essential Oils. Science, Technology and Application. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2010

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

One written exams during the semester, acceptance of them from 60%.

Mid-term exams

One written exams during the semester, acceptance of them from 60%.

Making up for missed classes

There is no possibility.

Exam topics/questions

There is no list. The questions of the written test is similar to the lecture topics.

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars