Work

Essential Oils: Chemistry and Mechanisms of Anticonvulsant Action

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Essential oils have attracted increasing attention due to their bioactive properties. This review focuses on their anticonvulsant potential by exploring the relation between the chemical composition of essential oils and the mechanism of action underlying this effect. Evidence from in vivo and ex vivo studies is presented to identify structure-activity relations and to distinguish well-supported effects from preliminary findings. Moreover, essential oil's quality is vital to ensure safety and efficacy in pharmacotherapeutic approaches. For this reason, factors including extraction and analytical methods as well as authenticity assessment are discussed due to their impact on pharmacological consistency and reproducibility. Overall, this review highlights key compounds and mechanisms contributing to anticonvulsant activity, identifies current limitations in the literature, and outlines priorities for future research aimed at validating essential oils as potential complementary therapeutic agents in seizure management.

Source: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/ijms27114691

Authors: Lígia Salgueiro, Mónica Zuzarte, Jeremias Justo Emídio, Diogo Vilar da Fonsêca, Damião Pergentino de Sousa

Institutions: Chemical Engineering and Renewable Resources for Sustainability, University of Coimbra, Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande

Language: English

Topic: Medicinal Plant Extracts Effects

Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,499