Search

The composition of the essential oils of six individual plants of Artemisia herba-alba Asso, growing wild in six different locations from southern Algeria, were investigated by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in combination with retention indices. Accounting for 76.3–97.2% of the oils, 132 constituents were identified, predominantly α-thujone (trace–47.1%), camphor (5.6–30.0%), chrysanthenone (trace–13.5%), β-thujone (trace–9.2%), 1,8-cineole (4.1–11.4%), cis-jasmone (0.8–12.1%) and davanone (trace–34.0.%). Regarding the α- and β-thujone toxicity and the extensive use of A. herba-alba as an aromatic and medicinal plant in folk medicine, we report here, with previous investigations, the thujone content of forty individual plants of A. herba-alba growing wild in sixteen different locations from the high table-lands, steppes and Sahara desert of Algeria. The available data indicate a high degree of variability in the percentage of the two constituents. Large amounts were pr...

Isolation of the essential oil from Artemisia herba-alba collected in the North Sahara desert has been conducted by hydrodistillation (HD) and a microwave distillation process (MD). The chemical composition of the two oils was investigated by GC and GC/MS. In total, 94 constituents were identified. The main components were camphor (49.3 and 48.1% in HD and MD oils, respectively), 1,8-cineole (13.4–12.4%), borneol (7.3–7.1%), pinocarvone (5.6–5.5%), camphene (4.9–4.5%) and chrysanthenone (3.2–3.3%). In comparison with HD, MD allows one to obtain an oil in a very short time, with similar yields, comparable qualities and a substantial savings of energy.

Twenty-six oil samples were isolated by hydrodistillation from aerial parts of Artemisia herba-alba Asso growing wild in Tunisia (semi-arid land) and their chemical composition was determined by GC(RI), GC/MS and 13C-NMR. Various compositions were observed, dominated either by a single component (α-thujone, camphor, chrysanthenone or trans-sabinyl acetate) or characterized by the occurrence, at appreciable contents, of two or more of these compounds. These results confrmed the tremendous chemical variability of A. herba-alba.

Seedlings of Artemisia herba-alba Asso collected from Kirchaou area were transplanted in an experimental garden near the Institut des Regions Arides of Medenine (Tunisia). During three years, the aerial parts were harvested (three levels of cutting, 25%, 50%, and 75% of the plant), at full blossom and during the vegetative stage. The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation and its chemical composition was determined by GC (RI) and 13C-NMR. With respect to the quantity of vegetable material and the yield of hydrodistillation, it appears that the best results were obtained for plants cut at 50% of their height and during the full blossom. The chemical composition of the essential oil was dominated by b-thujone, a-thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor and trans-sabinyl acetate, irrespective of the level of cutting and the period of harvest. It remains similar to htat of plants growing wild in the same area.

The essential oil composition from the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris var. glutinosa Gay ex Bess and Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae) of Tunisian origin has been studied by GC and GC/MS. The main constituents of the oil from A. campestris collected in Benguerdane (South of Tunisia) were found to be β-pinene (41.0%), p-cymene (9.9%), α-terpinene (7.9%), limonene (6.5%), myrcene (4.1%), β-phellandrene (3.4%) and a-pinene (3.2%). Whereas the oil from A. herba-alba collected in Tataouine (South of Tunisia) showed, pinocarvone (38.3%), a-copaene (12.18%), limonene (11.0%), isoamyl2-methylbutyrate (19.5%) as major compounds. The mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of the two oils were investigated by the Salmonella typhimurium/microsome assay, with and without addition of an extrinsic metabolic activation system. The oils showed no mutagenicity when tested with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA97. On the other hand, we showed that each oil had antimutagenic activity against the ...

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Artemisia herba-alba Asso growing wild in M'sila-Algeria, was investigated using both capillary GC and GC/MS techniques. The oil yield was 1.02% based on dry weight. Sixty-eight components amounting to 94.7% of the oil were identifed, 33 of them being reported for the frst time in Algerian A. herba-alba oil and 21 of these components have not been previously reported in A. herba-alba oils. The oil contained camphor (19.4%), trans-pinocarveol (16.9%), chrysanthenone (15.8%) and β-thujone (15%) as major components. Monoterpenoids are the main components (86.1%), and the irregular monoterpenes fraction represented a 3.1% yield.

The composition of the essential oil hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of Artemisia herba-alba Asso. growing in Jordan was determined by GC and GC/MS. The oil yield was 1.3% (v/w) from dried tops (leaves, stems and flowers). Forty components corresponding to 95.3% of the oil were identified, of which oxygenated monoterpenes were the main oil fraction (39.3% of the oil), with α- and β-thujones as the principal components (24.7%). The other major identified components were: santolina alcohol (13.0%), artemisia ketone (12.4%), trans-sabinyl acetate (5.4%), germacrene D (4.6%), α-eudesmol (4.2%) and caryophyllene acetate (5.7%). The high oil yield and the substantial levels of potentially active components, in particular thujones and santolina alcohol, in the oil of this Jordanian species make the plant and the oil thereof promising candidates as natural herbal constituents of antimicrobial drug combinations.

In continuation of our investigation of aromatic flora of the Holy Land, the systematic study of Artemisia herba alba essential oils has been conducted. The detailed composition of five relatively rare chemotypes of A. herba alba obtained through GC and GC/MS analysis are presented. To ensure the integrity of each chemotype the volatiles were extracted from individual plant specimens and bulked only if the GC profiles were substantially similar. The major constituents were: Type 1: 1,8 cineole (10.8%), α-thujone (40.9%) and β-thujone (34.9%); Type 2: 1,8 cineole (26.0%) and camphor (42.1%); Type 3; 1,8 cineole (26.6%) and β-thujone (44.0%); Type 4: cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (8.9%) and cis-chrysanthenol (30.0%); Type 5: cis-chysanthenol (6.8%) and cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (69.0%). This study showed that the population of A. herba alba in Israel consists of a much greater number of chemovarieties than was previously believed. Though chemovarieties are unevenly distributed in different geographic a...

The composition of the oil, steam-distilled from aerial parts of Artemisia herha-alba Asso ssp. valentina (Lam.) Marcl. (Asteraceae) collected from the south of Spain, has been analyzed by GC/MS. Among the 65 constituents investigated (representing 93.6 % of the oil composition), 61 were identified (90.3% of the oil composition). The major constituents detected were the sesquiterpene davanone (18.1%) and monoterpenes p-cymene (13.5%), 1,8-cineole (10.2%), chrysanthenone (6.7%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (5.6%), γ-terpinene (5.5%), myrcene (5.1%) and camphor (4.0%). The oil was dominated by monoterpenes (ca. 66% of the oil), p-menthane and pinane being the most representative skeleta of the group. The oil sample studied did not contain thujones, unlike most A. herba-alba oils described in the literature.