Abstract
Gastrointestinal malignancies are well-known terms in the pathogenesis of
the alimentary canal. They have been prevalent in different organs of the
gastrointestinal tract system. Gastric tumor is the second most common cause of death
due to cancer in the world. The epidemiology of cancer has changed within the last few
decades. A significant deal with such carcinomas is done using essential plant
constituents like alkaloids, volatile oils, and glycosides. They involve various
mechanisms for eliminating these carcinomas. Many plant essential oils, such as
thymol, lemon oil, limonene, carvacrol, and lavender oils, have been investigated for
their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-carcinogenic properties been shown to
modulate numerous immunological and cellular functions. Many types of research have
proven that a large number of volatile oils and aromatic compounds present in various
plants have important anti-cancer activities. They showed the anti-cancer effect on cell
lines and cancer cells in animals. The use of various plant volatile oils may alter or
affect the pathogenesis of several types of gastrointestinal cancer like liver cancer,
esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, etc. In this chapter, the anti-cancer
activity of plant essential oil components against GIT cancers has been discussed, with
a focus on their possible mechanism of action.