Chemical composition of flower essential oil Santolina chamaecyparissus L.

Abstract

The genus Santolina (Asteraceae family) is a taxonomically complex group of plant species widely distributed in the Mediterranean region. Santolina chamaecyparissus L., commonly referred to as cotton lavender, is a hardy aromatic evergreen shrub with a dense mound of attractive grayish-silver foliage. It has been widely used in traditional medicine since the ancient times due to its biological properties. The volatile components of the S. chamaecyparissus flowers from Medicinal plant collection garden Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad, were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Among the 71 compounds presented in the essential oil, major components were artemisia ketone (36.1%) and vulgarone B (22.1%). Both of these compounds from S. chamaecyparissus essential oil possess strong antimicrobial activity. Apart from this, artemisia ketone has a herbaceous odour, and can be used as flavoring and as a natural food additive. It is used in pharmaceutical products for its functional properties, as well as in perfume industry for the fragrance.