Hazel essential oil alleviates symptoms of PCOS

A team of researchers from Gazi University and Afyon Kocatepe University in Turkey has suggested that essential oil derived from hazelnut (Corylus avellana) seeds has potential use as a natural remedy for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In their study, which was published in The Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, they found that hazel essential oil improves symptoms of PCOS in rats by regulating hormone and lipid concentration.

• PCOS is a hormonal problem in women of reproductive age that is characterized by elevated progesterone level and reduced estrogen level. Women who suffer from PCOS also exhibit a ratio between luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) that is three times the normal level.
• This endocrine disorder often manifests in menstrual irregularity, acne, excessive body hair, and irregular ovulation. Moreover, it contributes to metabolic problems like diabetes, cancer, obesity, infertility, and coronary heart disease.
• Researchers hypothesized that hazel essential oil can be used to alleviate PCOS symptoms since ethnobotanical studies have shown that hazelnut was traditionally used to treat gynecological disorders.
• In this study, the team determined the effects of hazel essential oil on Sprague Dawley rats induced to have PCOS.
• Results showed that untreated rats with PCOS exhibited an increase in body weight, severe follicular cysts, and high FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, and lipid levels. Meanwhile, these changes were absent or occurred at a lesser degree in the rats treated with hazel essential oil.
• Analysis of the essential oil also revealed that it has antioxidant activity, which is possibly due to the presence of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, squalene, beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol.

Overall, these results show that hazel essential oil improves PCOS by regulating hormone levels and that it has potent antioxidant activity.

The full text of the study is available at this link.

For more articles on the health benefits of essential oils, visit EssentialOils.news.

Journal Reference:

Demirel MA, Ilhan M, Suntar I, Keles H, Akkol EK. ACTIVITY OF CORYLUS AVELLANA SEED OIL IN LETROZOLE-INDUCED POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME MODEL IN RATS. The Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy. 10 November 2015;26(1). DOI: 10.1016/j.bjp.2015.09.009