ReviewThe Yale journal of biology and medicine2020
Essential Oils and Health.
Review in The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- Essential Oils as a Source of Anticancer Molecules: Critical Assessment of Current Evidence and Methodological Limitations-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- The antibacterial effectiveness of lavender essential oil against methicillin-resistantFrontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review on the Adult Alpha Brainwave Activity After Essential Oil Inhalation.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2023Pooled it
- Randomised-crossover clinical trial on the substantivity of a single application of a gel containing chlorhexidine and o-cymen-5-ol on the oral biofilm and saliva.BMC oral health · 2024Trial
- Randomized placebo controlled trial of phytoterpenes in DMSO for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Short-term anti-plaque effect of a cymenol mouthwash analysed using the DenTiUS Deep Plaque software: a randomised clinical trial.BMC oral health · 2023Trial
- Emerging Role of Essential Oils as Modulators of the JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway: A Comprehensive Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Protocol for determining minimum inhibitory concentrations of essential oils against bacterial pathogens using broth microdilution.STAR protocols · 2026Article
- Exploring the Nutraceutical Potential ofFood science & nutrition · 2026Review
- Neurocognitive and Memory-Enhancing Effect ofPharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Clinical Potential of Essential Oils: Cytotoxicity, Selectivity Index and Antimicrobial Activity Against Gram-Negative ESKAPEE Pathogens.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Review
- Antibacterial activity of essential oils from Brocchia cinerea, Artemisia campestris and Origanum vulgare growing in Algeria against antibiotic-resistant foodborne pathogens.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Topical Formulations Containing Mentha piperita for Wound Healing: A Scoping Review.Chemistry & biodiversity · 2026Review
- Modulation of the Volatile Profile of Cardamom (Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
- Regulation of long non-coding RNAs by essential oils: Therapeutic implications in human diseases.Genetics and molecular biology · 2026Article
- Anti-Neuroinflammation Activity of Essential Oils and Fatty Acids.Food science & nutrition · 2026Review
- Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Potential, and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity of the Essential Oil fromMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploring the effects of phenolic compounds and essential oils in poultry: A sustainable strategy to combat Salmonella biofilm infections.Poultry science · 2025Review
- Biological activities of Centaurium erythraea and its main chemotypes: menthol, carvacrol, and tricosane.AMB Express · 2025Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) have risen in popularity over the past decade. These oils function in society as holistic integrative modalities to traditional medicinal treatments, where many Americans substitute EOs in place of other prescribed medications. EOs are found in a multitude of products including food flavoring, soaps, lotions, shampoos, hair styling products, cologne, laundry detergents, and even insect repellents. EOs are complex substances comprised of hundreds of components that can vary greatly in their composition depending upon the extraction process by the producer or the origin of the plant. Thus, making it difficult to determine which pathways in the body are affected. Here, we review the published research that shows the health benefits of EOs as well as some of their adverse effects. In doing so, we show that EOs, as well as some of their individual components, possess antimicrobial, antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties as well as purported psychogenic effects such as relieving stress, treating depression, and aiding with insomnia. Not only do we show the health benefits of using EOs, but we also indicate risks associated with their use such as their endocrine disrupting properties leading to the induction of premature breast growth in young adolescents. Taken together, there are many positive and potentially negative risks to human health associated with EOs, which make it important to bring awareness to all their known effects on the human body.
Indexed as
Identifiers
32607090PMC7309671W3039836517What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.