Elmar Arak

Composition of the essential oil of Salvia officinalis L. from various European countries

Variations in the essential oil composition of Salvia officinalis L. growing in Estonia and in other European countries were determined. The oils were obtained in yields of 2.2–24.8 mL kg−1. In three samples, the content of essential oil did not conform to the EP standard (10 mL kg−1). Variations in the essential oil composition of sage were studied using capillary gas chromatographic methods. A total of 40 components were identified. The principal components in the sage oils were 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-thujone, β-thujone, borneol, and viridiflorol. The chemotypes of sage were not determined in investigated samples. The concentration of the main compounds in the drugs cultivated in Estonia varied in about the same range as the concentrations of these compounds in the oils of drugs obtained from other countries. The comparatively high concentration of toxic thujones seem to be characteristic to sage leaves cultivated in Estonia.

Essential oil composition of Pimpinella anisum L. fruits from various European countries.

Variations in the essential oil composition of Pimpinella anisum L. fruits obtained from different geographical areas of Europe were determined using capillary GC and GC–MS techniques. The essential oil content of the samples was 10.0–53.6 mL kg−1 and did not confirm to the European Pharmacopoeia standard in 5 samples out of 14. A total of 21 compounds were identified and significant quantitative differences were observed among the samples. The major component was trans-anethole (76.9–93.7%); the other principal compounds in oils were γ-himachalene (0.4–8.2%), trans-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate (0.4–6.4%), p-anisaldehyde (tr-5.4%) and methylchavicol (0.5–2.3%). The highest content of trans-anethole (>90%) was found in the samples from Greece, Hungary, Scotland, Lithuania, Italy, and Germany (2 samples). Essential oil of aniseed from Estonia was rich in γ-himachalene (8.2%) and trans-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate (6.4%). The sample from France contained the highest amount of anisaldehyde (5.4%) comparing with other samples (0–3.1%). β-Bourbonene and α-farnesene are determined in anise oil for the first time.

Phytochemical analysis of the essential oil of Achillea millefolium L. from various European Countries

Variations in the essential oil composition of Achillea millefolium L. growing in Estonia and in other European countries, were determined. The oils were obtained in yields of 0.9–9.5 mL kg−1. A total of 102 components were identified. The quantitatively most important components of yarrow were sabinene, β-pinene, 1,8-cineole, artemisia ketone, linalool, α-thujone, β-thujone, camphor, borneol, fenchyl acetate, bornyl acetate, (E)-β-caryophyllene, germacrene D, caryophyllene oxide, β-bisabolol, δ-cadinol, chamazulene etc. Samples from Estonia contained high amounts of monoterpenes and chamazulene. High amounts of monoterpenes and chamazulene were also found in samples from Hungary, Greek, Moldavia, Latvia, Lithuania and Germany. The oils from France, Belgium, Russia, Armenia, Spain and Italy were rich in oxygenated monoterpenes and contained a little amount of chamazulene. The drugs from Greece, Estonia, Moldavia and Scotland were rich in sesquiterpenes. The Millefolii herba grown in Estonia conforms to the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) standards in the aspect of the essential oil contents.

Content and composition of the essential oil of Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert from some European countries

Variations in the essential oil composition of Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert from different European countries were determined. A total of 39 components were identified, representing over 92% of the total oil yield. The principal biologically active compounds in chamomile oils were bisabolol oxide A (3.1–56.0%), α-bisabolol (0.1–44.2%), bisabolol oxide B (3.9–27.2%), cis-enyne-bicycloether (8.8–26.1%), bisabolon oxide A (0.5–24.8%), chamazulene (0.7–15.3%), spathulenol (1.7–4.8%) and (E)-β-farnesene (2.3–6.6%). In 8 chamomile samples from 13, bisabolol oxide A (27.5–56.0%) was predominant (among them in three Estonian samples). α-Bisabolol (23.9–44.2%) was predominant in the samples from Moldova, Russia and the Czech Republic. The sample from Armenia was rich in bisabolol oxide B (27.2%) and chamazulene (15.3%). The oils were obtained in yields of 0.7–6.7 mL kg−1 and the minimum limit of 4 mL kg−1 stated by the European Pharmacopoeia was exceeded only in 13 samples from 13 analysed drugs.

Phytochemical analysis of the essential oil of Thymus serpyllum L. growing wild in Estonia

Variations in the essential oil composition of Thymus serpyllum L., growing wild in Estonia (33 samples) and in some other countries (Russia, Latvia and Armenia, seven samples) were determined. The oil were obtained from Estonia (46 samples) in yields 0.6–4.4 and 1.9–8.2 mL kg–1 in other countries. The T. serpyllum herb grown in Estonia usually did not confirmed to the EP standard in the aspect of the essential oil contents (3.0 mL kg–1). Variations in the essential oil composition of wild thyme were studied using capillary gas chromatographic methods. A total of 94 components were identified. Thymol and carvacrol, mentioned in literature as principial components, are not the main components of the essential oil of wild thyme growing in Estonia. (E)-nerolidol, caryophyllene oxide, myrcene and borneol chemotypes of wild thyme drug are distinguishable. The chemical composition of samples from Russia, Latvia and Armenia is very variable.

Composition of the Essential Oil of Levisticum Officinale W.D.J. Koch from Some European Countries

Abstract Variations in the essential oil composition of Leviticum officinale W.D.J. Koch from different European countries were determined using capillary GC and GC/MS methods. The oils were obtained in yields of 0.11–1.80% from dried cut roots and 0.09% from leaves. A total of 48 components were identified, representing over 87% of the total yield of oil. Ten compounds not earlier reported: trans-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol, iso-thujyl alcohol, p-mentha-1,5-dien-8-ol, bicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-3-ol, 2-methylene-6,6-dimethyl, trans-carveol, perillaldehyde, sabinyl acetate, perillyl alcohol, methyl ester of methylpentadecate acid, and methyl hexadecadienate acid. The principal components in the oils of L. officinale roots were β-phellandrene (0.1–48.9%), pentylcyclohexadiene (0–12.3%), trans-sabinyl acetate (0–12.1%), α-terpinyl acetate (0–26.1%), (Z)-3-butylidene phthalide (0.1–31.2%), and (Z)-ligustilide (0.2–70.9%). Phthalide isomers were predominant (73.2–82.6%) in the oils from Estonia, France, and Belgium. The roots oil of L. officinale from Scotland was rich in β-phellandrene (48.9%) and phenylacetaldehyde (17.2%). Maximum content of trans-sabinyl and α-terpinyl acetates (total 38.2%) was found in the oil from Holland. Estonian L. officinale root oil contained in high quantities (E)-ligustilide (52.4–70.9%) and pentylcyclohexadiene (12.3%). The L. officinale leaf oil cultivated in Estonia contained in high amounts α-terpinyl acetate (55.8%) and β-phellandrene (11.3%). The content of (Z)-ligustilide (17.0%) in the leaf oil was smaller compared with the root oil.

Essential oil composition of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. fruits from pharmacies in different countries

Variations in the essential oil composition of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. commercial fruits obtained from retail pharmacies in Estonia, Norway, Austria and Moldova and from a spice shop in Turkey were determined using capillary GC techniques. The essential oil content of all the samples was 5–51  mL kg−1 and between 22 and 51 mL kg−1 in fennel fruits bought from pharmacies. A total of 34 compounds were identified. The major component was trans-anethole (34.8–82.0%); the other principal compounds in oils were fenchone (1.6–22.8%), estragole (2.4–17.0%), limonene (0.8–16.5%), and cis-anethole (0.1–8.6%). The yield of essential oil (5.0 mL kg−1) and content of trans-anethole was very low (34.8%) in the Turkish spice sample. Maximum yield of essential oil was found in fennel from Norway and Austria (50.7 and 50.5 mL kg−1, respectively); these samples were rich in fenchone (21.2% and 22.8%), but contained less trans-anethole (64.6–63.7) than samples from Estonia and Moldova (82.0% and 80.9%). The typical samples of sweet fennel (bought from Estonia and Moldova) and bitter fennel (from Norway and Austria) were found to conform completely or partially to EP standards, although fennel type was always not marked on the packages.

Composition of the Essential Oil from Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare L.ssp. vulgare) Cultivated in Estonia

Abstract The differences between the composition of essential oils isolated from seven wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare) samples, gathered from different regions and cultivated in Estonia were investigated. Steam distillation was used for oil isolation and capillary GC/FID and GC/MS for oil analyses. Forty-eight compounds were identified, representing over 95% of the total oils. Different compositions of essential oils cultivated in Estonia were found. The major compounds of the oils were linalool (0.3–20.6%), β-caryophyllene (1.3–45.0%), germacrene D (0.7–21.0%), caryophyllene oxide (1.5–31.3%) and spathulenol (0.9–10.1%)

The content and composition of the essential oil Found in Carum carvi L. commercial fruits obtained from different countries

Caraway (Carum carvi L., Apiaceae) is a very popular spice and herb, which is widely applied in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Variations in the essential oil content and composition in twenty commercial caraway samples obtained from retail pharmacies and health shops in different countries were determined using hydrodistillation and capillary GC techniques. The essential oil yields ranged from 0.6% to 5.4%. Eighteen compounds, comprising more than 97% of the composition of oil, were identified in the caraway essential oils. The main components of the oils in caraway seeds were carvone (44.5–95.9%) and limonene (1.5–51.3%). Between the content of carvone and limonene the negative correlation -0.999 (p<0.01) was found. Additionally, β-myrcene (0–0.4%), trans-dihydrocarvone (0–0.5%), and trans-carveole (0–0.2%), as well as α-pinene, sabinene, n-octanal, trans-β-ocimene, γ-terpinene, linalool, cis- and trans-limonene oxide, cis-dihydrocarvone, cis-carveol, perillaldehyde, trans-anethole, and trans-β-caryophyllene were found in caraway oils. The content and composition of the essential oils in commercial caraway seeds is remarkably variable and conformed with the European Pharmacopoeia standards only in four samples among the 20 commercial caraway samples studied. The carvone and carvone-limonene chemotypes were found.

Variation in the Composition of the Essential Oil of Commercial Valeriana officinalis L. Roots from Different Countries

Abstract The volatile constituents from roots of Valeriana officinalis L. were investigated using GC and GC/MS methods. Valerianae radix samples were obtained from retail pharmacies of different European countries. The roots of 15 V. offcinalis samples yielded 0.19–1.16% essential oil on a dry weight basis. The basic oil components among the identified 86 compounds were bornyl acetate (2.9–33.7%), α-fenchene (0–28.3%), valerianol (0.2–18.2%), valerenal (tr-15.6%), isovaleric acid (0–13.1%), camphene (0–11.1%) and valeranone (0.5–10.9%). Bornyl acetate/valerenal chemotype was characteristic for 9 of the 15 samples of valerian roots from different European countries. Some samples did not contain α-fenchene and camphene (Germany, Czech), isovaleric acid (France, Moldova, Russia 2) and valerianic acid (Estonia, Ukraine 1, Scotland, Moldova, Russia 1). Valerian root oil from Estonia was rich in essential oil, bornyl acetate (33.7%), valerianol (16.8%) and valeranone (9.5%).