ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION OF SALVIA VERBENACA L. GROWING WILD IN TUNISIA

The essential oil of aerial parts of Salvia verbenaca L., collected in three different locations in Tunisia, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry. The oil yields of dried plants (w/w) were 0.09, 0.10 and 0.12% in Sabelet Ben Ammar, Sers and Somaa, respectively. Seventy-seven compounds were identified. The monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes had the highest contributions. The major constituents in Sabelet Ben Ammar were viridiflorol (21.8%), camphene (17.6%), methyl eugenol (9.4%) and β-caryophyllene (7.1%), while those of essential oil collected from Somaa, were tricyclene (18.8%), nonane (10.3%), methyl eugenol (7.7%) and terpinolene (7.3%). In samples collected from Sers, essential oil consists mainly of (Z)-β-ocimene (29.5%), β-phellandrene (8.2%), β-thujone (7.9%) and α-pinene (5.5%).

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

In this study, it has been found that the oils of wild-growing Salvia verbenaca L. in Tunisia are rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes and monoterpene hydrocarbons with great economical values. The plant family Labiatae contains several species with potential therapeutic activity due to their essential oils. Pharmacology, pharmaceutical botany, medical and clinical microbiology, phytopathology and food preservation are some fields in which essential oils can be applied. Many Salvia spp. are used as herbal tea and for food flavoring, as well as in cosmetics, perfumery and the pharmaceutical industry. It has shown that essential oil of S. verbenaca have strong antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory activities and peripheral analgesic properties.