Analysis Of Volatile Components Of Four Aromatic Plants And Their Effects On Human Physical And Mental Health

Health landscape is a kind of landscape form beneficial to human body,so it has significance of promotion in today’s society.Aromatic plants have both ornamental and health effects,and it’s often been used in health landscape.In this paper,four common aromatic plants were used including Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’,Ternstroemia gymnanthera,Trachelospermum jasminoides and Perilla frutescens.Their VOCs were collected by dynamic headspace bag collection and analysed by ATD-GC/MS.In addition,in order to study the effects of aromatic plants on physical and mental health of people,a sniffing experiment was set,using brain waves,blood pressure,heart rate and POMS scores as indicators.VOCs’ analyzing results showed that VOCs of Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ were mainly terpenes,ketones,alkanes and a small amount of aldehydes and alcohols,many of which had aromas similar to citrus and lemon;the VOCs of Ternstroemia gymnanthera were mainly terpenes,aromatic hydrocarbons and aldehydes;the VOCs of Trachelospermum jasminoides included aldehydes,terpenes and esters;the VOCs of Perilla frutescens included terpenes,aldehydes and alcohols.The main VOCs of the four aromatic plants have important physiological activities,which is the material basis of the impact aromatic plants can have on human physical and mental health.Based on the results of sniffing experiment,the following speculations were made:(1)Sniffing Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ for 10-20 min can improve human concentration ability and creativity,and the effect is more obvious for females;smelling Cupressus macrocarpa‘Goldcrest’ can make people calm and maybe the longer,the better;and sniffing for a long time is easier for males to relax;in addition,smelling Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ can reduce tension,anger,panic and depression,and improve self-esteem.(2)Sniffing Ternstroemia gymnanthera can relax human body and promote mental activity as well as improve concentration and attention;for females,smelling Ternstroemia gymnanthera can enhance creativity,for males,smelling it can enhance cognition,learning ability and memory;in addition,smelling Ternstroemia gymnanthera can also reduce tension,fatigue and panic,and enhance energy and self-esteem.(3)Sniffing Trachelospermum jasminoides can help people produce excitement and agitation,and the effect is more obvious for males;10min of smelling can also help males relax to some extent;smelling 30 min can make people concentrate and improve mental activity,concentration and resourcefulness,and the intervention effect is better for females;in addition,smelling Trachelospermum jasminoides can reduce panic,nervousness and fatigue,and enhance energy.(4)Sniffing Perilla frutescens can reduce fatigue and drowsiness,improve concentration,and bring people into a relaxed and calm state,and the intervention effect is better for females;for males,short time sniffing of Perilla frutescens may also promote learning ability and memory;based on the experimental results,it is speculated that the longer sniffing time,the better effect on human;in addition,sniffing Perilla frutescens can also reduce tension,anger,fatigue,depression and panic.The four aromatic plants all have positive effects on human physical and mental health in different ways.Therefore,in the design of health landscape,plants can be selected according to the different needs of site functions.