Composition of the essential oil of Artemisia absinthium L. of different geographical origin

Abstract

Variations in the essential oil composition of Artemisia absinthium L. obtained from different geographical areas of Europe were determined using capillary gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis methods. The oils from air-dried wormwood were obtained in yields of 0.1-1.1%. The Absinthii herba grown in Estonia corresponded to the EP standards in the aspect of the essential oil contents. A total of 107 components were identified, representing over 85% of the total yield of oil. The principal components in the oils were sabinene (0.9-30.1%), myrcene (0.1-38.9%), 1,8-cineole (0.1-18.0%), artemisia ketone (0-14.9%), linalool and -thujone (1.1-10.9%), -thujone (0.1-64.6%), trans-epoxyocimene (0.1-59.7%), trans-verbenol (0-11.7%), carvone (0-18.5%), (E)-sabinyl acetate ( 0-70.5%), curcumene (0-7.0%), neryl butyrate (0.1-13.9%), neryl 2-methyl- butanoate (0.1-9.2%), neryl 3-methylbutanoate (0.4-7.3%), and chamazulene (0-6.6%). Mono- terpenes were predominant (44.0-67.9%) in the oils from Scotland, Estonia (2000, 2002), Moldova, and Hungary. In the other oils studied oxygenated monoterpenes (41.2-93.9%) were found to predominate. The highest content of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (11.9-29.8%) was found in the oils from Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany. Armenian oil contained more chamazulene (6.6%) than the other samples studied (0-2.1%). Four chemotypes were found to be characteristic of A. absinthium growing in Europe: sabinene and myrcene rich oil, - and -thujone rich oil, epoxyocimene rich oil, and (E)-sabinyl acetate rich oil. Some mixed chemotypes were also f ound.