In aromatherapy, fragrances produced from various natural products have played a key role in the psychophysiological functions of human beings for hundreds of years. Fragrances are volatile components with <300 Dalton (Da) molecular weight. Fragran...
In aromatherapy, fragrances produced from various natural products have played a key role in the psychophysiological functions of human beings for hundreds of years. Fragrances are volatile components with <300 Dalton (Da) molecular weight. Fragrant components are perceived by humans via the olfactory sensory neurons in the olfactory system. Numerous studies documented that exposure to fragrances rapidly affects human behavior and cognitive functions by altering brain wave activity. Among different electrophysiological methods, an electroencephalograph (EEG) can be effectively used to identify the negative or positive impacts of fragrances on brain functions. The EEG recording offers information regarding the physiological state of the brain by measuring the changes in brain waves (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma). The activation of a respective wave is closely associated with the particular brain function. In this context, several studies have been performed to determine the effect of fragrance inhalation on human brain functions such as cognition, mood, and social behavior.
In this review, we discussed the influence of fragrances on the psychophysiological functions of humans from previously published papers. This review could be useful to develop different perfumery products in order to improve human brain functions. In addition, this review is highly likely to be used in the field of healing agriculture, which has recently risen in the field of agriculture.