Documentary review of essential oils obtained from Lippia alba (Verbenaceae) as microbial and antifungal therapeutic alternative

Abstract

Antibiotics are chemical compounds that are used to eradicate some pathogenic microorganisms, however, according to WHO reports, some microorganisms of clinical importance; which has limited the options of treatment have developed resistance to antibiotics by the health professionals to the patients. Therefore, it has been necessary to seek alternative therapies such as the use of essential oils of aromatic plants as a biosolution to conventional treatments with very good results. The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the Lippia alba plant, which is widely distributed in Latin America, have presented promising results due to the great variety of volatile compounds such as citral, carvone, myrcenene, among the most abundant and about 30 other compounds; The variation in the concentration of the compounds depends on several phenotypic and genotypic as well as environmental factors. Different investigations have demonstrated how the extraction of the oil from the leaves and their use both in vivo and in vitro have shown bactericidal, bacteriostatic, antifungal, antiprotozoal, antitumor activity, as a sedative for the transport of animals, as an animal growth promoter, among others. This documentary review shows some investigations with the essential oil of and the results obtained in them.