Studies On The Anxiolytic Effects Of Angelica Essential Oil

The anxiolytic effects of angelica essential oil (AEO) were investigated by means of behavioral pharmacology for the first time. The other central-acting properties and acute toxicity of AEO were also examined to see whether clear differences could be observed between it and diazepam (DZ).After acute administration, AEO (20mg/kg) significantly reduced rearing while did not suppress the number of stairs ascended. In the elevated plus-maze test, AEO (30mg/kg) increased the percentage of open arm time and reduced the percent protected head-dips. AEO (30mg/kg) prolonged the time spent in light area without altering the locomotor activity of the animals in the light/dark box. AEO (30mg/kg) significantly inhibited stress-induced hyperthermia. AEO (15mg/kg) significantly increased the food intake in a 5-minute period. AEO (84mg/kg) significantly increased number of entries into and time spent in the central arena in the open field test. AEO (10.5mg/kg) caused increase in exploratory head-dipping in the holeboard test. AEO (21mg/kg) in the HF (high light, familiar) test condition and AEO (21mg/kg,42mg/kg) in the HU (high light, unfamiliar) test condition all significantly increased social interaction time of pairs of rats. In general, the results seen above indicate that AEO, at specific doses, possesses a wide range of anxiolytic properties in different anxiety models.