HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Anti-Anxiety Properties of D-Limonene

Study Abstract

The traditional use of essential oils in aromatherapy has offered numerous health benefits. However, few scientific studies have been conducted with these oils to confirm their therapeutic efficacy. (+)-Limonene is a chemical constituent of various bioactive essential oils. The present study reports on the anxiolytic-like effects of (+)-limonene in an elevated maze model of anxiety in mice. At concentrations of 0.5% and 1.0%, (+)-limonene, administered to mice by inhalation, significantly modified all the parameters evaluated in the elevated plus maze test. The pharmacological effect of inhaled (+)-limonene (1%) was not blocked by flumazenil. Analysis of (+)-limonene using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed its volatility to be high. These data suggest possible connections between the volatility of (+)-limonene and its anxiolytic-like effect on the parameters evaluated in the elevated plus maze test. The data indicate that (+)-limonene could be used in aromatherapy as an antianxiety agent.

Study Information

Lima NG, De Sousa DP, Pimenta FC, Alves MF, De Souza FS, Macedo RO, Cardoso RB, de Morais LC, Melo Diniz MD, de Almeida RN.
Anxiolytic-like activity and GC-MS analysis of (R)-(+)-limonene fragrance, a natural compound found in foods and plants.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav.
2012 September
Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Federal da Paraíba, CEP 58051-970, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil.