Physiological and Psychological Effects of Volatile Organic Compounds from Dried Common Rush ( Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens Buchen.) on Humans

Minkai Sun, Taisuke Nakashima, Yuri Yoshimura, Akiyoshi Honden, Toshinori Nakagawa, Yu Nakashima, Makoto Kawaguchi, Yukimitsu Takamori, Yoshitaka Koshi, Rimpei Sawada, Shinsuke Nishida, Koichiro Ohnuki and Kuniyoshi Shimizu
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Minkai Sun: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215000, China
Taisuke Nakashima: Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Yuri Yoshimura: Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Akiyoshi Honden: Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Toshinori Nakagawa: Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan
Yu Nakashima: Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Agricultural System Research Institute, Yatsushiro 8694201, Japan
Makoto Kawaguchi: Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Agricultural System Research Institute, Yatsushiro 8694201, Japan
Yukimitsu Takamori: Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Agricultural System Research Institute, Yatsushiro 8694201, Japan
Yoshitaka Koshi: Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Agricultural System Research Institute, Yatsushiro 8694201, Japan
Rimpei Sawada: Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Agricultural System Research Institute, Yatsushiro 8694201, Japan
Shinsuke Nishida: Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Agricultural System Research Institute, Yatsushiro 8694201, Japan
Koichiro Ohnuki: Faculty of Humanity-Oriented Science and Engineering, Kindai University, Iizuka 8200011, Japan
Kuniyoshi Shimizu: Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8190395, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: This study compared the participants’ physiological responses and subjective evaluations of air scented with different concentrations of common rush ( Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens Buchen.) (30 g and 15 g, with fresh air as a control). We asked 20 participants to complete a series of visual discrimination tasks while inhaling two different air samples. We evaluated (1) brain activity, (2) autonomic nervous activity, and (3) blood pressure and pulse rate, (4) in combination with self-evaluation. In addition, we quantified the concentrations of volatile organic compounds. The participants reported the scent to be sour, pungent, and smelly; this impression was likely caused by hexanal and acetic acid. Although the self-evaluations showed that participants did not enjoy the scent, their alpha amplitudes of electroencephalogram and parasympathetic nervous activity were increased, suggesting that participants were relaxed in this atmosphere. Moreover, a lower concentration resulted in a greater induction of relaxation. While the air was not pleasant-smelling, the volatile organic compounds present had a positive psychophysiological impact.

Keywords: common rush ( Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens Buchen.); heart rate variability (HRV); alpha component; subjective evaluation; volatile organic compounds (VOCs); electroencephalogram (EEG) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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