ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated complications have a great impact on the life quality of patients and are responsible for a large number of worldwide deaths. In spite of the prevalent therapies, the therapeutic benefits and patient adherence to these therapies are compromised due to several reported side effects. The major risk factor for the development of diabetes and other metabolic diseases is obesity which is caused by excessive accumulation of body fat. The volatile extracts of plants are emerging as promising therapeutic agents because they are more amenable, possess lesser side effects, and are better tolerated by patients. The plant essential oils are the aromatic mixtures of substances containing alcohols, aldehydes, terpenes, esters, and ketones. They are volatile and odorous mixtures with proven medicinal properties. Due to the chemical enrichment of essential oils, they possess wide applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. The beneficial effects of essential oils in improving different diseased states are well known and they show significant anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic activities. Multiple pieces of evidence have demonstrated the anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects of essential oils by either providing general protection to cells from free radicals or acting on related targets. In this chapter, the significant findings of experimental studies summarizing the beneficial effects of essential oils in diabetes and obesity are discussed. In spite of these available studies, the efficacy guarantee of essential oil needs to be verified through clinical studies.
