Anti-stress effects of plants used in Japanese traditional festivals and development of the anti-stress aromatic agents of the taste of the Japanese

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Anti-stress effects of the aromatic plants used for Japanese traditional seasonal events were evaluated. Essential oils were obtained from Atractylodes rhizomes, pine leafs, white peach blossoms, peach kernels, mugwort leafs, calamus rhizomes, bamboo leafs, chrysanthemum flowers and Evodia fruits. The sedative effects of these essential oils were evaluated in a mice open field test. The exposure of a mouse to a novel environment induces exploratory behavior resulting in an increase in spontaneous motor activity. The reduction of the spontaneous motor activity was translated as the sedative effects, or anti-stress effects. The essential oils from Atractylodes rhizomes and Evodia fruits showed significant reduction in the spontaneous motor activity. The sedative effect of Evodia fruit's essential oil was comparable to that of lavender flower's essential oil. In addition, the sedative effects of these essential oils disappeared in the experimentally induced anosmic mice. Our data suggest that the fragrance of the Evodia fruits would be useful for relaxation and stress management. The analysis of heart rate variably might be useful to evaluate the anti-stress effects of the fragrance. The variation index of the heart rate R-R interval was the most suitable index to detect the load and liberation of mental stress in human studies. The effects of the intake of coffee and GABA were also observed. Anti-stress effects of the fragrance of Evodia Fruits in mice and human are going to be evaluated in future.