Essential Oil Composition of Artemisia herba-alba from Southern Tunisia.docVIP

Molecules 2009, 14, 1585-1594; doi:10.3390/moleculeOPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 /journal/molecules Article Essential Oil Composition of Artemisia herba-alba from Southern Tunisia Haouari Mohsen * and Ferchichi Ali Laboratoire dAridoculture et Culture Oasienne, Institut des Régions Arides 4119 Medenine, Tunisia; E-mail: Ferchichi.ali@ira.rnrt.tn (F.A.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: Haouari.M@. Received: 19 January 2009; in revised form: 27 February 2009 / Accepted: 9 March 2009 / Published: 20 April 2009 Abstract: The composition of the essential oil hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of 18 individual Artemisia herba-alba Asso. plants collected in southern Tunisia was determined by GC and GCMS analysis. The oil yield varied between 0.68% v/w and 1.93% v/w. One hundred components were identified, 21 of of which are reported for the first time in Artemisia herba-alba oil. The oil contained 10 components with percentages higher than 10%. The main components were cineole, thujones, chrysanthenone, camphor, borneol, chrysanthenyl acetate, sabinyl acetate, davana ethers and davanone. Twelve samples had monoterpenes as major components, three had sesquiterpenes as major components and the last three samples had approximately the same percentage of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The chemical compositions revealed that ten samples had compositions similar to those of other Artemisia herba-alba essential oils analyzed in other countries. The remaining eight samples had an original chemical composition. Keywords: Herba-alba; Asteraceae; Essential oil composition; Chemotypes. 1. Introduction Artemisia herba-alba Asso. known also as desert wormwood is a prominent plant of the Irano- Turanien steppes of Spain, North Africa and the Middle East [1-4]. It is one of five spontaneous Artemisia species recorded in Tunisia [5]. This plant