Studies on the chemical constituents of genus Mentha. II. Mentha candicans, a new chemical strain of section Spicatae, containing trans-sabinene hydrate as the principal component of essential oil.

Abstract

The essential oil of Mentha candicans Miller, obtained by solvent extraction, was found to contain predominantly (+)-trans-sabinene hydrate, accompanied by a small amount of (+)-cis-sabinene hydrate; the latter compound was for the first time isolated as a naturally occurring monoterpene. When the oil was obtained by the usual steam distillation, transsabinene hydrate was isomerized to terpinen-4-ol, the content of which increased markedly with prolonged distillation. The other components of this oil were α-pinene, β-pinene, sabi-nene, 1, 8-cineole, γ-terpinene, p-cymene, 3-octanol, menthol and α-terpineol. These findings indicate that Mentha candicans is a new chemical strain of Section Spicatae.