Essential oil constituents of Ocimum micranthum Willd
1990
The essential oil from the leaves, flowers, and stems of Ocimum micranthum Willd., a strongly aromatic annual herb used as a local beverage and medicinal plant and native to the lowlands of Central and South America and the West Indies, has for the first time been examined. The essential oil content between plant parts varied significantly with 1.54, 0.63, and 0.08 (percent volume/fresh weight) yield from the leaves, flowers, and stems, respectively. Twenty compounds in the essential oil were identified: 1,8-cineole, eugenol, beta-caryophyllene, beta-selinene, and elemene isomers were found to be the major constituents. Essential oil composition also varied by plant part. Eugenol, the major constituent in leaves, was present only in trace amounts in flowers and stems. beta-selinene, a minor component in the leaves, was a major constituent in the flowers and stems. Total sesquiterpenes accounted for 48.4, 85.8, and 78.5% of the oil in the leaves, flowers, and stems, respectively. This is the first report of an Ocimum spp. to be high in elemenes, 1,8-cineole, beta-caryophyllene, and beta-selinene.
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