Composition of the essential oils of wild and cultivated <i>Satureja khuzistanica</i> Jamzad from Iran

Abstract

Abstract The essential oils of the wild and cultivated Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad (Lamiaceae) from Iran were isolated by hydrodistillation in yields of 0.6% and 1.2% respectively. The chemical composition of the essential oils was examined by GC and GC–MS. Twelve components of the wild plants' oil, representing 98.5% of the total oil, and 21 components of the cultivated plants' oil, representing 99.2%, were identified. The main components of the wild plants' oil were carvacrol (93.9%), eugenol (1.0%), p ‐cymene (0.8%) and thymol (0.6%). The major constituents of the cultivated plants' oil were carvacrol (80.6%), p ‐cymene (4.8%), myrcene (1.5%), γ ‐terpinene (2.1%) and terpinene‐4‐ol (2.1%). In both the wild and cultivated plants the main component of the oil was carvacrol. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.