Bioactive principles and biological properties of essential oils of Burseraceae: A review

Abstract

Burseraceae is one of the families containing wide range of aromatic plants. In this family resiniferous plants mainly yield essential oils and these oils are mostly extracted from leaves, bark and oleogum resins. In the present review the major constituents of essential oil and their pharmacological properties of nearly sixty species belonging to Burseraceae is given. A number of phytochemicals were isolated from different essential oils of the members of this family. Among those the predominant compounds present in these oils belong to mono and sesquiterpenes. The prominent biological properties exhibited by the essential oils of the members of Burseraceae are antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, insecticidal and larvicidal.