Chemical composition of the essential oils and aromatic waters of some native Scutellaria species from Iran

Background: Plants of the genus Scutellaria , commonly known as skullcap, belong to the Lamiaceae family. There are 22 species of Scutellaria in Iran, 10 species of which are native to Iran. Plants of this genus have several effects including neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant. They are also effective in insomnia and dementia conditions. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the composition of essential oils and aromatic waters of some native Scutellaria species from Iran. Methods: Aerial parts of Scutellaria pinnatifida with different subspecies such as mucida , viridis , and alpina , Scutellaria tournefortii , and Scutellaria tomentosa were collected from different regions of Iran. The essential oils and hexane extracts of aromatic waters of selected plants in this genus were obtained by hydrodistillation with clevenger type apparatus and analyzed by GC-MS. Results: The results of this study showed that germacrene D, caryophyllene derivatives and linalool are found in abundance in the essential oils of these plants. The main terpenoids in the aromatic waters of these plants were linalool and 1-octen-3-ol. Conclusion: The analysis of the essential oils and aromatic waters of Scutellaria species demonstrated that different geographical factors such as altitude and the season of plant collection can be effective on the production of plant secondary metabolites.