Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil from Nine Medicinal Plants of the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan
Abstract
Abstract The essential oils of aromatic plants used by the Wakhi and Kyrgyz peoples in the remote Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan were analysed by GC-MS. The species (with major components in brackets) were Artemisia dracunculus (1,3-pentadiyne (26.5 %), D-sylvestrene (11.7 %) and α-acetylnaphthalene (9.1 %)); Artemisia persica (artemisia ketone (38.4 %), (1ST-camphor (32.8 %) and 1,8-cineole (13.6 %)); Artemisia sieversiana (cis-verbenol (24.9 %), 1,8-cineole (20.3 %), β-pinene (15.7 %) and L-borneol (13.7 %); Dracocephalum paulsenii ((R)-(+)-α-pinene (24.5 %), S-(-)-cis-verbenol (14.5 %), germacron (14.1 %), Rcaryophyllene oxide (13.6 %) and (+)-γ-elemene (9.8 %)); Elsholtzia densa (piperitone (56.5 %) and piperitenone oxide (36.2 %)); Lagochilus cabulicus (β-springene (19.4 %), geranyllinalool (16.4 %) and (R)-(+)-α-pinene (14.2 %)); Mentha longifolia (piperitenone oxide (84.8 %)); Nepeta pamiriensis (1,8-cineol (97.7 %)) and Zizophera clinopodiodes (pulegone (58.6 %) and p-menthone (24.8 %)). Key words: Artemisia dracunculus Artemisia persica Artemisia sieversiana Dracocephalum paulsenii Elsholtzia densa Lagochilus cabulicus Mentha longifolia Nepeta pamiriensis Zizophera clinopodiodes Wahkan corridor