Sapwood and nikhra heartwood volatiles of two Combretaceae species traditionally used in Sudanese cosmetology and therapy

Abstract

The smoke from Combretum hartmannianum and Terminalia laxiflora sapwood and fermented heartwood (nikhra) are used in body smoke baths and homemade skincare products in Sudan, which are believed to have various health benefits. In this study, the volatiles of sapwood and nikhra were collected using two extraction techniques: a Mono-TrapTM sampling technique (at low temperature) and a smoke trapping system (at high temperature). After GC-MS analysis, the chromatogram of each sample revealed numerous peaks. The detected peaks were identified using the DIST08 mass spectral library database, resulting in known and unknown compounds. The results showed that 1,2,4,5-tetrachloro-3,6-dimethoxybenzene was the major compound in the Mono-Trap and smoke extracts from nikhra samples of C. hartmannianum and T. laxiflora. In contrast, the dominant compounds in the Mono-Trap extracts of C. hartmannianum and T. laxiflora sapwoods were acetonyldimethylcarbinol and cadina-1(10),4-diene, respectively. The largest peaks in the chromatograms of the sapwood smoke extracts of both species corresponded to unknown compounds. Some of the detected compounds are known for their aromatic and pharmaceutical properties. Identifying these aromatic compounds in nikhra and not in sapwood might prove the traditional Sudanese beliefs, and it could potentially improve the manufacturing of health products.