Promising Development of Essential Oils as Potential Therapeutic Agents

It is generally agreed upon that medicinal plants have and will continue to play a crucial role in the development of human society. Essential oils (EOs) are derived from plants and extracted either through steam distillation or mechanical methods applied to the citrus fruit epicarp or through dry distillation following a physical separation of the aqueous phase. Therapeutic effects such as antimicrobial, insecticidal, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, wound healing, and antioxidant activities are typically exhibited by these compounds, which are typically made up of the oxygenated secondary metabolites of aromatic plants such as alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, and esters. These distinguishing properties contribute to their widespread acceptance and widespread application across a wide range of industries and disciplines. They are employed as food preservatives in the food business and as scent ingredients in the cosmetics sector. The medicinal use of EO components is an intriguing area of study. Given the pharmaceutical industry’s growing interest in plants, understanding EOs is essential for developing novel bioactive delivery strategies. Evaluation for aromatherapy and anti-cancer is a current focus area because it has been observed that EOs described in plants may prevent, stop, or even reverse the production of malignant cells. This chapter provides a concise overview of the most recent research on the efficacy of EOs and their volatile constituents in a variety of pharmaceutical and other biomedical applications.