Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2015, Article ID 896314, 30 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/896314 Review Article Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Bioactivities of Cananga odorata (Ylang-Ylang) Loh Teng Hern Tan,1 Learn Han Lee,1 Wai Fong Yin,2 Chim Kei Chan,3 Habsah Abdul Kadir,3 Kok Gan Chan,2 and Bey Hing Goh1 1 JeffreyCheahSchoolofMedicineandHealthSciences,MonashUniversityMalaysia,46150BandarSunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia 2Division of Genetic and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 3Biomolecular Research Group, Biochemistry Program, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Correspondence should be addressed to Bey Hing Goh;
[email protected] Received 30 April 2015; Revised 4 June 2015; Accepted 9 June 2015 AcademicEditor:MarkMoss Copyright © 2015 Loh Teng Hern Tan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata Hook. F. & Thomson) is one of the plants that are exploited at a large scale for its essential oil which is an important raw material for the fragrance industry. The essential oils extracted via steam distillation from the plant have been used mainly in cosmetic industry but also in food industry. Traditionally, C. odorata is used to treat malaria, stomach ailments, asthma, gout, and rheumatism. The essential oils or ylang-ylang oil is used in aromatherapy and is believed to be effective in treating depression, high blood pressure, and anxiety.