Composition of the essential oils of some <i>Thymus</i> and <i>Thymbra</i> species

Abstract

Abstract A comparative study of some Thymus and Thymbra species growing wild in Yugoslavia, was carried out in order to determine the possibilities of using regional resources of medicinal plants. The essential oil contents (0.70–1.60% vol./dry wt) were determined by hydrodistillation, and the oil compositions analysed by gas chromatography. The oil of Thymus glabrescens Willd. contained 29% 1, 8‐cineole, 0.2% thymol and 2% carvacrol. Oil samples of Thymus pulegioides L. contained less than 0.7% 1, 8‐cineole, but 6–15% p ‐cymene, 1–22% thymol and 10–30% carvacrol, while one of these samples consisted of 50% linalol. In the oil of Thymus longicaulis C. Presl, the main components were p ‐cymene (26%), thymol (40%) and carvacrol (8%). The oil of Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav. [ = Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Rchb. f.] was characterized by large amounts of carvacrol (76–83%).