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Essential oils have been used to treat psychophysiological disorders, but their effects on human electroencephalographic (EEG) activity have not been thoroughly investigated. We evaluated the effects of essential oil of Zizyphus jujuba seeds, a Korean folk medicine known as San-Jo-In, on human EEG activity. For this purpose, essential oil was extracted from San-Jo-In by the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction method. The effect of its inhalation on EEG activity was evaluated by measuring the EEG power spectrum (25 indices) in 20 healthy participants. The results of the EEG power spectrum indicated that the values of the theta wave decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the left (from 17.277 to 13.854 µV) and right parietal (from 15.324 to 13.020 µV) regions compared to the other regions. During the inhalation of San-Jo-In oil, the EEG spectrum values of fast alpha, relative gamma, and spectral edge frequency increased 50% compared to those before inhalation. The values of the fast alpha wave increased significantly (p<0.05) in the left prefrontal (from 0.063 to 0.085 µV), right prefrontal (from 0.064 to 0.085 µV), and left frontal (from 0.073 to 0.100 µV) regions following inhalation of the San-Jo-In essential oil. The changes in the EEG activities following inhalation of San-Jo-In suggest that the oil can improve psychological well-being by increasing attention and relaxation.

The aim of this work was to determine the volatile constituents of fresh and dried (shade dried) fruits of Magnolia kobus DC. using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Essential oils from fresh and dried fruits of M. kobus were obtained by steam distillation and the yields were 0.81 and 1.73% (v/w), respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed the identification of seventeen components from both the fresh and dried fruits of M. kobus, which were mostly monoterpene hydrocarbons (62.8-71.8%). A comparison of oils from fresh and dried fruits exhibited the changes in the amounts of several constituents. Major components of the essential oil were αpinene (26.7-31.6%), β-pinene (20.2-27.9%) and limonene (8.6-10.0%). In the dried sample, concentration of αpinene, β-pinene, caryophyllene, camphene, and α-humulene contents were decreased. On the other hand, limonene, α-terpineol, bornyl acetate and terpinen-4-ol contents were increased in the dried sample. The present investigation clearly suggested that the drying treatment decreased the concentration of major components in the essential oil of M. kobus fruit.