Abstract
Background: Essential oils have been used for medical purposes because of their medicinal properties and are sourced from natural products. Aim: The comparative study of essential oils from Clausena anisata leaves obtained through two methods of extraction was undertaken. Setting: C. anisata leaves were collected from Akinsola village in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Methods: Essential oil was extracted using the methods of solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and hydrodistillation (HD) and then analysed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Results: The result shows that the essential oils obtained from the leaves of C. anisata through SFME and HD are pale yellow and colourless, respectively. A higher oil yield of 5.2 mL/100 g was obtained through SFME compared to 3.7 mL/100 g obtained through HD. There was an abundance of monoterpenes in the oil obtained using HD, while sesquiterpenes were the dominant compounds in the oil extracted using SFME. Other compounds present were α-cubebene, α-copaene and α-pinene with 1091.63, 1091.64 and 979.35, respectively. Conclusion: The compounds obtained which are very important in the cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industries, is dependent on the method of essential oil extraction.
Highlights
The use of plants for medicinal purposes dates back to early man
Volatile oils or essential oils have been used for medical purposes because of their medicinal properties and are sourced from natural products
The essential oils obtained from the leaves of C. anisata through solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and HD are pale yellow and colourless, respectively
Summary
The use of plants for medicinal purposes dates back to early man. Medicinal plants have played a pivotal role in both ancient and modern cultures, with a large human population in developing countries greatly depending on plant resources for health care because they are cheaper and safer and have little or no side effects when compared to modern synthetic drugs (Agbor & Ngogang 2005). Volatile oils or essential oils have been used for medical purposes because of their medicinal properties and are sourced from natural products. They assume great importance because of their antioxidant capacities (Rohloff 2003). Essential oils offer promising potential for future applications in the fields of agriculture, medicine, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. This may be as a result of their function as signalling compounds produced between different types of organisms and diverse biological systems coupled with their general antimicrobial effects, antioxidative effects and medicinal properties. Essential oils have been used for medical purposes because of their medicinal properties and are sourced from natural products
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