Changes in Human Electroencephalographic Activity in Response to Agastache rugosa Essential Oil Exposure

Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant and its aerial parts have a pleasant fragrance. A. rugosa leaves are used as an ingredient in salads and soups for enhancing the aroma and taste of foods in Korea. However, there is no report on the influence of the aroma of A. rugosa on human psychophysiological activity. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to the essential oil of Korean A. rugosa on human electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The essential oil of A. rugosa was isolated using steam distillation extraction and its composition was determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. In the EEG study, 38 healthy volunteers (19 men and 19 women) participated. The EEG readings were analyzed for 25 EEG indices from 29 electrodes placed on the scalp according to the international 10–20 system. The major component in the essential oil of A. rugosa was estragole (89.49%) followed by D-limonene (3.40%), menthone (1.80%), and pulegone (1.86%). In the EEG study, significant decreases in absolute theta (AT) and relative theta (RT) power spectra were observed during the exposure to A. rugosa essential oil when compared to that of no odor exposure. Whereas relative alpha (RA), relative slow alpha (RSA), spectral edge frequency 50% (SEF50), and spectral edge frequency 50% of alpha (ASEF) power spectra values significantly increased. These results reveal that the EEG power spectra changes incurred during the exposure to the essential oil of A. rugosa may be associated with the enhancement of freshness and concentration states of the human brain.