Hong Minji, Jang Hyejeong, Bo Sela, Kim Minju, Deepa Ponnuvel, Park Jiyea, Sowndhararajan Kandhasamy, Kim Songmun
School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea.
Bigsome Inc., 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju 52828, Korea.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2022 Jul 15;12(7):238. doi: 10.3390/bs12070238.
(Korean mint) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant and its aerial parts have a pleasant fragrance. leaves are used as an ingredient in salads and soups for enhancing the aroma and taste of foods in Korea. However, there is no report on the influence of the aroma of on human psychophysiological activity. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to the essential oil of Korean on human electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The essential oil of was isolated using steam distillation extraction and its composition was determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. In the EEG study, 38 healthy volunteers (19 men and 19 women) participated. The EEG readings were analyzed for 25 EEG indices from 29 electrodes placed on the scalp according to the international 10-20 system. The major component in the essential oil of was estragole (89.49%) followed by D-limonene (3.40%), menthone (1.80%), and pulegone (1.86%). In the EEG study, significant decreases in absolute theta (AT) and relative theta (RT) power spectra were observed during the exposure to essential oil when compared to that of no odor exposure. Whereas relative alpha (RA), relative slow alpha (RSA), spectral edge frequency 50% (SEF50), and spectral edge frequency 50% of alpha (ASEF) power spectra values significantly increased. These results reveal that the EEG power spectra changes incurred during the exposure to the essential oil of may be associated with the enhancement of freshness and concentration states of the human brain.
薄荷（韩国薄荷）是一种重要的药用和芳香植物，其地上部分具有宜人的香气。在韩国，薄荷叶被用作沙拉和汤的配料，以增强食物的香气和味道。然而，关于薄荷香气对人类心理生理活动影响的报道尚未见。因此，本研究旨在探讨暴露于韩国薄荷精油对人类脑电图（EEG）活动的影响。采用水蒸气蒸馏萃取法分离薄荷精油，并通过气相色谱和质谱（GC-MS）分析确定其成分。在脑电图研究中，38名健康志愿者（19名男性和19名女性）参与。根据国际10-20系统，从放置在头皮上的29个电极分析脑电图读数的25个脑电图指标。薄荷精油的主要成分是草蒿脑（89.49%），其次是D-柠檬烯（3.40%）、薄荷酮（1.80%）和长叶薄荷酮（1.86%）。在脑电图研究中，与无气味暴露相比，暴露于薄荷精油期间观察到绝对θ（AT）和相对θ（RT）功率谱显著降低。而相对α（RA）、相对慢α（RSA）、频谱边缘频率50%（SEF50）和α的频谱边缘频率50%（ASEF）功率谱值显著增加。这些结果表明，暴露于薄荷精油期间引起的脑电图功率谱变化可能与人类大脑的清新度和注意力状态的增强有关。
