Essential oil terpenes: adjunctive role in the management of childhood urolithiasis

Abstract

Essential oil preparation of the terpenic type was introduced for the first time in the 1930s for the management of urolithiasis. Although essential oil preparations are registered in 50 countries, including some developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan, for use in urolithiasis, no literature has been published in a peer-reviewed English (Anglo-American) medical journal. Recently the use of these terpenes has been investigated in children with urolithiasis and underlying metabolic abnormalities. The aim of this article is to extract the useful and worthy information about the use of these terpenes in urolithiasis from the previous literature as many of these articles are now considered of poor quality for a thorough systematic scientific review. The main disadvantages of most of the old literature about terpenes are the treatment was not followed radiologically and most of these articles represent anecdotal reports of spontaneous passage of calculi and symptomatic improvement of colic in association with the use of terpenes. The other aim is to discuss the possible role of essential oil terpenes in the management of childhood urolithiasis.