Composition of the essential oil of Stachys germanica from Serbia

Abstract

The genus Stachys L. comprises more than 270 species and is considered one of the largest genera of the Labiatae [1]. It is a subcosmopolitan genus centered in the warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean and SW Asia. Serbia is an area not very rich in Stachys representatives. In the flora of Serbia, 17 species are recognized [2]. Plants of this genus have long been used in folk medicine for the treatment of genital tumors, sclerosis of the spleen, inflammatory tumors, cough, and ulcers [3]. Teas prepared from the whole plant or leaves are used in phytotherapy. They posses sedative, antispasmodic, diuretic, and emmenagogue effects [4, 5]. In spite of the large species diversity of Stachys, the composition of essential oils is known in only a small number of species. Essential oils have been studied in different Stachys species [6–16]. As a part of a morphological, anatomical, and chemical research of genus Stachys in Serbian flora, we report the essential oil composition of S. germanica. Seventy-three compounds were identified in the essential oil of S. germanica, which represents 92.87% of the total oil, through their retention indexes and mass spectra obtained using GC/MS. The components with their percentage peak area are listed in Table 1. The main components were borneol (9.27%), bicyclogermacrene (8.97%), β-farnesene (5.70%), and spathulenol (4.60%). S. germanica oil contains monoterpene hydrocarbons (0.96%), oxygenated monoterpenes (14.07%), sesquiterpenes (34.23%), and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (24.89%). The essential oil of this species contains also aliphatic hydrocarbons (14.33%) and diterpenes (1.63%).