Thyme oil ‘can suppress inflammation’
January 14th, 2010 - 2:31 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Jan 14 (ANI): A new study has shown that essential oils derived from common herb, known as thyme, could help suppress inflammation.
Essential oils from plants have long been a component of home remedies, and even today are used for their aromatherapy, analgesic (e.g. cough drops), or antibacterial properties.
Japanese researchers have found that six essential oils -from thyme, clove, rose, eucalyptus, fennel and bergamot-can suppress the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme, in a manner similar to resveratrol, the chemical linked with the health benefits of red wine.
Lead researcher Hiroyasu Inoue believed that many essential oils might target COX-2 much like compounds in wine and tea.
During the study, the research team screened a wide range of commercially available oils and identified six (thyme, clove, rose, eucalyptus, fennel and bergamot) that reduced COX-2 expression in cells by at least 25pct.
However, thyme oil proved the most active as it reduced COX-2 levels by almost 75pct.
When researchers analyzed thyme oil, they found that the major component -carvacrol- was the primary active agent.
In fact when they use pure carvacrol extracts in their tests COX-2 levels decreased by over 80pct.
The study appears in Journal of Lipid Research. (ANI)
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Tags: active agent, antibacterial properties, bergamot, cells, clove, compounds, cough drops, cox 2, essential oils, expression, extracts, fennel, health benefits of red wine, home remedies, inflammation, inoue, japanese researchers, journal of lipid research, major component, researcher