The aim of the study was comparing the chemical composition of the essential oils from five varieties of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.), and its biological activity against two pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the comparison we included the following varieties: 'Munstead', 'Munstead Strain', 'Lavender Lady', 'Ellegance Purple' and 'Blue River'. Sel...

Most mammals scent-mark and a variety of hypotheses have been put forward to explain this behaviour. Differences in the main function of scent-marking between species are likely to be related to differences in social systems. Here, we investigate the functions of scent-marking in a cooperatively breeding carnivore. In the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), individuals of both sexes commonly breed ...

Human scent evidence can be of critical use in many cases where other types of evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, or fibers are not available. The use of canines within the area of law enforcement scent detection and forensic science often involves locating general human scent but is increasingly related to their ability to correctly match a human scent sample with its originating subject. Var...

Female mate choice based on male phenotypic traits is controversial in lizards, particularly in territorial species. In this study, we examine female choice of male scent marks in a territorial lacertid lizard (Podarcis hispanica) in which scent marks have been shown to signal male size (i.e., an important determinant of competitive ability in this species). Females were simultaneously exposed ...

The inhibitory effects of essential oils including clove, lavender and geranium extracted from Eugenia caryophyllata, Lavandula officinalis and Pelargonium graveolens on multidrug resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. The main constituents of clove, lavander and geranium oil were eugenol (80-90%), 1,8-cineol (13%) and citronellol (45%) respectively. Clove had the most ...

Lavenders and their essential oils have been used in alternative medicine for several centuries. The volatile compounds that comprise lavender essential oils, including linalool and linalyl acetate, have demonstrative therapeutic properties, and the relative abundance of these metabolites is greatly influenced by the genetics and environment of the developing plants. With the rapid progress of ...

Increasing evidence suggests that `aromas have distinctive effects on the allocation of attention in space: Arousing olfactory fragrances (e.g., peppermint) are supposed to induce a more focused state, and calming olfactory fragrances (e.g., lavender) a broader attentional state. Here, we investigate whether odors have similar effects on the allocation of attention in time. Participants perform...

We investigated sexual and seasonal patterns in scent-marking behaviour of the honey badger, by direct observations of habituated individuals (five females, four adult males, two young males). Four categories of scent-marking behaviour were identified: (1) scent marking at latrines; (2) token urination in holes along the foraging path; (3) squat marking at single-use sites; and (4) functional e...

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy massage using lavender oil as a possible treatment for this condition. This research was carried out on a group of 40 infants between 2 and 6 weeks of age with a gestational age of 38-42 weeks and normal development and growth. All the infants weighed between 2500 and 4000 g at birth and all exhibited the signs of colic. Infant...

—Many studies have examined seed removal by rodents without regard to possible biases from inadvertent olfactory cues left by the researcher. I compared removal rates of seeds that had direct contact with human skin (scent treatment) with those that had no direct contact (no-scent treatment). Seeds of two species were alternated at 5 m intervals along a straight transect in a native grassland i...