Chemical Compositions and Biological Activities of Scutellaria Genus Essential Oils (Lamiaceae)

Context: Essential oils are secondary metabolites with versatile organic structures that, due to their compounds, have useful medicinal properties. There are about 250 species of the genus of Scutellaria perennial flowering plants from the Lamiaceae family. Its application for the treatment of allergy, inflammatory, hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and hepatitis has a long history. Evidence Acquisition: Various studies on the chemical compounds of the Scutellaria genus have identified several compounds, especially essentials oils. The current review is based on the evidence found in Chemical Abstract, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar databases. Results: Many studies on the chemical components of essential oils from the Scutellaria genus have identified several compounds. We summarized the chemical compositions and biological activities of Scutellaria essential oils. Hexadecanoic acid, germacrene D, -caryophyllene, linalool, -farnesene, and eugenol are the main compounds in essential oils of this genus. Despite many reports about essential oils of Scutellaria species (more than 38), a large number of species have not been studied yet. Therefore, several studies should be conducted on the chemical compounds and biological activities of unstudied Scutellaria essential oils. Conclusions: This review has summarized reports on the chemistry and biological activities of Scutellaria essential oils, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifeedant, phytotoxic, and acaricidal toxicities, based on the recent literature.