Usos y riesgos de los aceites esenciales en la formulación de fármacos

Abstract

Abstract: Essential oils are widely used in pharmacology for their biological properties. These essential oils contain anywhere from a few to hundreds of chemical compounds. Because these chemical compounds are diverse, they can have beneficial or harmful properties for humans. This study presents a literature review of the uses and risks of essential oils in drug formulations. The literature review was conducted in three stages: selection, eligibility, and systematization of the scientific evidence. The search was performed in Scopus using various English keywords and Boolean operators. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to select original studies on the therapeutic uses and toxicological risks of essential oils in pharmaceutical formulations. The analysis period was from 1997 to 2025. Among the pharmacological applications, the most prominent are antimicrobial activity (807 studies), anti-infective activity (635 studies), anti-inflammatory activity (331 studies), antioxidant activity (469 studies), and, since 2001, wound-healing activity (59 studies). The most common uses of essential oils are in their free form as an active ingredient, encapsulated, microencapsulated, in nanoemulsions, or as nanoemulgels. Among the toxic compounds found in essential oils are safrole (278 studies), methyleugenol (211 studies), and thujone (120 studies). This study analyzed the uses and risks associated with essential oils in drug formulations, highlighting their therapeutic potential and the importance of evaluating aspects related to the toxicity of each compound.