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Review
. 2014 Nov 19;4(6):591-607.
eCollection 2014.

Anticancer activity of essential oils and their chemical components - a review

Bagora Bayala  1 , Imaël Hn Bassole  2 , Riccardo Scifo  3 , Charlemagne Gnoula  4 , Laurent Morel  3 , Jean-Marc A Lobaccaro  3 , Jacques Simpore  5
Affiliations
Review

Anticancer activity of essential oils and their chemical components - a review

Bagora Bayala et al. Am J Cancer Res. .

Abstract

Essential oils are widely used in pharmaceutical, sanitary, cosmetic, agriculture and food industries for their bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitical and insecticidal properties. Their anticancer activity is well documented. Over a hundred essential oils from more than twenty plant families have been tested on more than twenty types of cancers in last past ten years. This review is focused on the activity of essential oils and their components on various types of cancers. For some of them the mechanisms involved in their anticancer activities have been carried out.

Keywords: Essential oils; anticancer activity; chemical composition.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of some monoterpenes compounds found in essential oils of plants.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of some sesquiterpenes compounds found in essential oils of plants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Examples of some terpenoids compounds found in essential oils of plants.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Examples of some aromatic compounds found in essential oils of plants.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Total of studies with EOs and compounds from 2004 to 2014 on various types of cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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