**3.1 Essential oil against ischemic heart disease and stroke**

During the last 18 years, ischemic heart disease had won the gold medal in killing a human. In the second position with silver medal comes the stroke. In 2016, these affections were incriminated in 15.2 million human death [57]. This is clear, known, and localizable but a silent terrorist against which all efforts should be focused on. These two affections share the same origin but different target. In fact, they are both cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease is known as a disease that affects the heart and blood vessels of the circulatory system [58]. In this case, ischemic heart disease and stroke are specific to blood vessels. Ischemic heart disease is a class of cardiovascular disease that appears on the vessels that supply the heart cells with blood in terms of nourishing rather than pumping for other organs [58]. Stroke on its part can be defined as neurological shortfall caused by crucial injury of the central nervous system. The reason behind is the cerebral infarction or intracerebral hemorrhage. Ischemic stroke accounts for 80% [59] of all types of stroke this chapter will focus on these later on.

Death happens when cells of these two vital organs are not supplied with nutrients and oxygen and are not free from their metabolic wastes. The main cause is the obstruction of the vessels by a clot (thrombus) from venal or upper artery atherosclerosis in coronary (in the heart) or arterioles (in the brain) and/ or atherosclerosis on these two vessels [58, 59]. It is therefore clear that targeting specific clot dissolution or arteriosclerosis can help to manage ischemic heart and stroke disease.

In that regards, a massive number of essential oils have been studied for their effect on cardiovascular diseases. These reports were previously reviewed by Grenier et al. [60] for the vasodilatation effect. The major compounds from these essential oils were eucalyptol (*Croton nepetaefolius*); piperitenone oxide (*Mentha* × *Villosa*); terpineol (*Alpinia zerumbet*); eugenol and methyl eugenol (*Ocimum gratissimum* and *Aniba canelilla*); anethole and estragole (*Croton zehntneri*); α pinene, caryophyllene, and eucalyptol (*Hyptis fruticose*); geraniol, citronellol, and citronellal (*Cymbopogon winterianus*); and many other essential oils containing linalool, bisabolol, and β pinene [60]. For the anti-arteriosclerotic effect, these same authors reviewed 17 essential oils that have been reported for their anti-arteriosclerotic effect both *in vitro* and *in vivo*. These plants include *Allium sativum*, *Ocimum sanctum*, *Melissa officinalis*, and *Lavandula angustifolia*.
