Essential oils as modifiers of human behavior

Abstract

The aim of this review was to know the effect, properties and mechanism of action of essential oils in order to enhance their use as a treatment and adjuvant in some neurodegenerative pathologies and others associated to stress and human behavior, based on clinical trials and descriptive research. Some studies suggest that essential oils have been widely used in various applications, mainly in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and agricultural industries since middle age. At the same time, based on human and animal studies has been established the effects of some essential oils about their behavior in the treatment of depression, anxiety, schizophrenic, sleep disorders in the regulation of mood modulating several neurotransmitters such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid also in some degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer, as well as in the associated behaviors in depressive disorders, Autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, drugs addictions, people with stress and sleep disorders.