Identification and Comparison of Essential Oil Composition of Artemisia sieberi and Artemisia aucheri Cultivated in the South of Iran

Abstract

In this study qualitative and quantitative chemical composition of two sagebrush species (Artemisia sieberi Besser and Artemisia aucheri Boiss.) were evaluated and compared. For this purpose, sagebrush seeds were grown in Medicinal Plants Research Site at Estahban Branch, Islamic Azad University, Estahban, Iran during 2012 growing season. At the beginning of the flowering stage, shoot parts of the plants were harvested and dried in shade. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation method using Clevenger apparatus. The chemical composition of the essential oil was investigated by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, 44 different constituents were identified in Artemisia aucheri, constituting 99.99% of the essential oil. The main constituents identified in Artemisia aucheri were myrcene (19.83%), linalool (17.98%), lavandulol (7.30%), bornyl acetate (6.72%), E-nerolidol (6.28%), davanone (5.46%), 1,8-cineole (4.51%), borneol (4.38%) and neryl propanoate (3.55%). In case of Artemisia sieberi, 38 different constituents were identified, comprising 100% of the essential oil, including camphor (29.50%), cis-thujone (22.58%), 1,8-cineole (12.91%), trans-thujone (10.60%) and camphene (5.05%). The results indicated that camphene (5.05%), cis-thujone (22.58%), trans-thujone (10.60%) and camphor (29.50%) were identified just in Artemisia sieberi. By contrast, myrcene (19.83%), linalool (17.98%), borneol (4.38%), lavandulol (7.30%), bornyl acetate (6.72%), neryl propanoate (3.55%), E-nerolidol (6.28%) and davanone (5.46%) were identified just in Artemisia aucheri.