Anticancer effects of some plant essential oils

Cancer is a complex disease and the second cause of death worldwide. Eight million individuals die from cancer every year. Essential oils are aromatic compounds that have various roles in plants and are also used to treat different disorders and complaints. In this paper, the anti-cancer effects of some aromatic plants and their essential oils are based on the results of research projects conducted in research papers. Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Division and project of "Study of essential oils in Iranian aromatic plants" as well as review and research papers were presented. Among chemical compounds, α-Bisabolol, α-Humulene, elemene, eugenol, b-caryophyllene, thymol, thymoquinone, geraniol, germacrone, Farnesol, Limonene, and Nerolidol exhibited anticancer activity. Some medicinal plants such as Thymus vulgaris, Juniperus spp, Matricaria chamomilla, Achillea santolina, Artemisia spp, Foeniculum vulgare, Curcuma spp, Zingiber spp, Carum carvi, Hypericum spp, Cymbopogon spp, Satureja spp, Salvia spp, and Mentha spp show remarkable anticancer activity.