Chemical composition of essential oils of two species of the Lamiaceae family: Scutellaria volubilisand Lepechinia paniculatafrom Loja, Ecuador

Scutellaria volubilisand Lepechinia paniculatabelong to the Lamiaceae family of species. They are used widely in traditional medicine in Ecuador. The physical properties and chemical composition of the essential oils from the aerial part of Scutellaria volubilisin its foliation – flowering stage and Lepechinia paniculatain its flowering phase have been studied after their hydrodistillation. The components of these essential oils were investigated by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID) techniques. Thirty-seven components were determined in the essential oil of S. volubilis. The principal constituents were found to be sesquiterpene hydrocarbons: germacrene D (20.4%), β-caryophyllene (17.5%), α-humulene (14.7%) and β-bisabolene (5.8%). Thirty-four components were identified in the essential oil of L. paniculata, the principal groups were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as aromadendrene (24.6%), viridiflorene (12.4%), β-selinene (7.4%) and valencene (6.7%). The monoterpene hydrocarbons were present in lower amounts as well as β-phellandrene (6.9%) and (7.7%). Oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes contribute below 5% in both species. This is the first report on the chemical composition of this species.