Composition of the Essential Oils from Leaves and Flowers of Achillea millefolium L. ssp. millefolium

Abstract

Abstract The composition of the essential oils from leaves and from flowers of Achillea millefolium L. ssp. millefolium was analysed by GC and GC‐MS. During the flowering period of the plant, both oils consisted mainly of monoterpenes (about 80%). 1,8‐Cineole was the dominant component in the oils from the flowers (29%) and from the leaves (25%), while sabinene was the second most important component in the oil from the flowers (15%) and trans ‐sabinene hydrate in that from the leaves (10%). The sesquiterpene fraction was in both cases dominated by germacrene‐D (0.7% in the oil of the flowers and 7% in the leaf oil). In the essential oil isolated from leaves collected during the vegetative phase, the monoterpene fraction was small (<3%), whereas sesquiterpenes amounted to 92%, germacrene‐D being the major component (65%) of the oil.