Essential oils of different cultivars of <i>Cannabis sativa</i> L. and their antimicrobial activity

Abstract

Abstract The essential oils of five different cultivars of Cannabis sativa contained as main compounds α‐pinene, myrcene, trans ‐β‐ocimene, α‐terpinolene, trans ‐caryophyllene and α‐humulene. The content of α‐terpinolene divided the cultivars in two distinct groups, an Eastern European group of cultivars of approximately 8% and a French group of cultivars of around 16%. Therefore, this compound might be suitable as a genetic marker for the two breeding centres for the fibre types of Cannabis sativa . The content of trans ‐caryophyllene was up to 19%. However, the content of caryophyllene oxide did not exceed 2%. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Cannabis sativa can be regarded as modest. Nevertheless, cultivar differences were visible. Δ‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) could not be detected in any of the essential oils and the amount of other cannabinoids was very poor. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.