Essential oils of plants used in home medicine in North of Argentina

Abstract

Essential oils of the medicinal plants Satureja parvifolia, Satureja boliviana, Hyptis mutabilis, Leonorus sibiricus, Lippia turnerifolia, Xeroaloysia ovatifolia and Acantholippia salsoloides of north Argentina were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Seventy-five compounds, representing more than 90% of the oils, were identified. The oils of both populations of S. parvifolia studied were characterized by a high content of piperitone (41.9% and 46%) and piperitenone oxide (50.1% and 49.3%). The most abundant constituents identified in S. boliviana oil were iso menthone (33%) and pulegone (25.3%). Hyptis mutabilis oil was characterized by b-phellandrene (27.1%) and b-caryophyllene (59.4%). The main constituents of L. sibiricus oil were the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons b-caryophyllene (35.2%), a-humulene (22.1%) and a-cubebene (18.4%). The oils of L. turnerifolia and X. ovatifolia also had a high content of sesquiterpenes. These were a-humulene (40.1%) and b-bisabolene (22.9%) in the oil of L. turnerifolia and b-caryophyllene (14.4%), (E)-nerolidol (10.5%), spathulenol (21.6%) and epi-a-cadinol (21.9%) in the oil of X. ovatifolia. Acantholippia salsoloides oil from Jujuy accumulated high contents of p-cymene (52.8%) and thymol (46.8%), while the oil from the population of Catamarca accumulated a-thujone (98.8%) as the major compound.