Essential Oils from Brazilian<i>Aristolochia</i>

Abstract

ABSTRACT The chemical composition of the essential oils from Brazilian species of the genus Aristolochia are being reported for the first time. The oils, which were obtained by steam distillation from seven Brazilian Aristolochia species: A. gigantea, A. macroura, A. cymhifera, A. rodriguesia, A. birostris, A. papillaris and A. triangularis, were analyzed by GC/MS and found to be rich in sesquiterpenes. The major components of the various oils were:—A. birostris: β-caryophyllene (13.9%), α-humulene (16.4%) and germacrene A (13.3%); A. cymhifera: n-undecane (17.7%) and dodecane (12.4%); A. gigantea: β-caryophyllene (8.8–19.3%), germacrene D (16.3–24.9%), γ-elemene (0–21.6%), trans-α-bergamotene (2.3–12.5%), (E)-nerolidol (0–23.4%), linalool (0–14.6%), nerol (0–11.5%) and geraniol (0–26.2%); A. macroura: δ-elemene (1.2–12.4%), α-copaene (2.5–13.3%), β-caryophyllene (10.6–15.3%), α-humulene (15.5–20.5%), γ-elemene (10.4–11.6%) and (E)-nerolidol (0–33.1%), farnesene (12.7%); A. papillaris: calarene (13.6%), α-humulene (17.7%), γ-cadinene (10.9%) and δ-cadinene (10.6%); A. rodriguesia: α-copaene (12.4%), β-bourbonene (11.9%) and β-elemene (10.7%); A. triangularis: (E)-nerolidol (12.3%) and decane (11.8%). KEY WORD INDEX: Brazilian Aristolochia Aristolochiaceae essential oils compositionsesquiterpenes