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Essential Oils and Biological Activities of the Genus Vitex (Lamiaceae) – A Review

The genus Vitex which includes approximately 270 species, and is an important genus of the Lamiaceae family due to its production of secondary compounds. The plants are generally used in preventing women's complaints such as aging, menstrual, menopausal, breast disease, and infertility. The objective of this study was to carry out a review of essential oils of the genus Vitex and their biological activities. The data were collected from the scientific electronic databases including SciFinder, Scopus, Elsevier, PubMed, and Google Scholar, within miscellaneous scopes of the Vitex include either medicinal uses or essential oil studies from a different region of countries. A total of nineteen Vitex species have been reported for their essential oils and biological activities. It can be observed that the major components were caryophyllene, germacrene D, limonene, cis-calamenene, 1,8-cineole, and spathulenol. Pharmacological studies indicated that the essential oil exhibited antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, acaricidal, antibiofilm, larvicidal, cytotoxic, and acetylcholinesterase activities. This review is mainly meant to provide relevant information on the phytochemical features of Vitex species, with emphasis on the essential oil, providing guidance, or the selection of accessions or species with the best chemical profiles. Nonetheless, it seems clear that more clinical evaluations are required until essential oils can be considered as possible applications in pharmacy or as adjuvants to current medications.