ABSTRACT
Pain is a common and serious health problem worldwide. Pain affects all populations, regardless of age, sex, income, race/ethnicity, or geography (Goldberg and McGee, 2011). Those who experience pain can experience acute, chronic, or intermittent pain, or a combination of the three. Particularly, chronic pain affects approximately 20% of the adult European population and is more frequent in women and older people (Gupta et al., 2012; see Van Hecke et al., 2013). Unfortunately, pain management in the community remains generally unsatisfactory and rarely under the control of currently available analgesics (Cherubino et al., 2012). Chronic pain leads to physical and psychological dysfunctions, including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, stress, inability to work, disrupted social relationships, and suicidal thoughts (Cecchi et al., 2009; see Goldberg and McGee, 2011; Gorczyca et al., 2013; Fadgyas-Stanculete et al., 2014; Novy and Aigner, 2014; Strobel et al., 2014). Despite
12.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 251 12.2 Essential Oils and Preclinical Results .......................................................... 252
12.2.1 Lavandula Species ............................................................................ 252 12.2.2 Citrus Species ...................................................................................254 12.2.3 Ocimum Species ............................................................................... 257 12.2.4 Croton Species .................................................................................. 259 12.2.5 Salvia Species ...................................................................................260
