Acute/Chronic Pain Relief: Is Althaea officinalis Essential Oil Effective?

The Althaea officinalis (marshmallow) plant is traditionally used to treat skin burns and constipation and to reduce inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and chronic analgesic effects of the essential oil of Althaea officinalis leaves (EOAO) in adult male mice. This experimental study used thirty-six adult male mice, which were randomly divided into six groups: a control, three groups treated with EOAO (18, 38, or 80 mg/kg, i.p.), a morphine group (1 mg/kg, i.p.), and a group treated with a combination of naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and 80 mg/kg EOAO. The analgesic effects of EOAO were evaluated by writhing, tail-flick, and formalin tests. The essential oil of the plant was prepared by the steady distillation method and its composition was analyzed by GC/MS. Significant antinociceptive effects were noted with doses of 38 and 80 mg/kg EOAO in the chronic phase response of the formalin test (P < 0.05 versus control). Doses of 38 and 80 mg/kg EOAO had a significant analgesic effect in the writhing test (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively, versus control). The 80 mg/kg dose of EOAO caused an enhancement in reaction time in the tail-flick test (P < 0.01 versus control). EOAO showed an analgesic effect that may involve both the central and peripheral nervous systems.