Contribution of Volatile Components in Winter Savory (Satureja montana L.) to Changes in Body Temperature in Humans Who Experience Cold Sensitivity

抄録

We have reported that ingestion of the volatile fraction of winter savory (WSV) increased core body temperature (CBT), inhibited the decrease in body surface temperatures (BSTs) of the wrist, finger and ankle, and increased BSTs of the forehead and neck in humans who experience cold sensitivity. We also showed that carvacrol, a main component of WSV, contributed to the CBT-increase, but not to the inhibition of BSTs-decreases. Therefore, to elucidate the components in WSV affecting BST, we studied the effects of thymol, the second major component of WSV, on body temperature. Thymol ingestion inhibited BSTs-decreases of the wrist and finger. Moreover, changes in BST and CBT by a mixture of thymol and carvacrol were similar to those by WSV. These results suggest that thymol might facilitate heat transfer from the body's core to the surface, and that the combination of thymol and carvacrol greatly contributed to BST- and CBT-changes by WSV.