Medicinal potential of Thuja occidentalis and its essential oil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31989/bchd.v8i5.1626Resumen
Thuja occidentalis L., which belongs to the Cupressaceae family, is commonly used in urban landscaping for its positive effects on microclimate regulation, noise reduction, air humidity maintenance, and air quality improvement. In folk medicine, Thuja occidentalis is used to treat bronchial asthma, rheumatism, and cystitis due to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anthelmintic properties. The crude extract of the aerial parts and their fractions in the Thuja occidentalis plant have been shown to have dose-dependent spasmolytic effects on isolated rabbit intestines.
Thuja essential oil has antifungal, anthelmintic, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties. Thujone is the main component of the thuja, while α-thujone displays antibacterial activity against some gram-negative bacteria. This effect creates an inhibitory effect in low concentrations of biofilm formation within different bacterial strains. Therefore, α-thujone may be a valuable tool for antibacterial therapy. The qualitative and quantitative composition of Thuja occidentalis essential oil is determined by the geographical conditions, climatic conditions of tree growth, and methods of harvesting the raw plant material. This paper collects various research on the medicinal properties of Thuja occidentalis essential oil and investigates the variables that influence oil composition.
Keywords: thuja, thujone, growth, plant extract, enantiomer
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