Composition of the Essential Oils of Four Nepeta species from Iran

AbstractThe essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial part of Nepeta prostrata, flowers of N. straussii, which are endemic to Iran, aerial parts of N. saccharata and leaves of N. pungens have been analyzed by a combination of GC and GC-MS. The oils of N. prostrata and N. straussii were rich in 1,8-cineole (26.1 % and 22.1 %) and β-pinene (13.6 % and 12.1 %), respectively. The other main component of the first oil was myrtenol (11.8 %) and in the latter one was germacrene-D (18.5 %). The major components of the oil of N. saccharata were neo-isomenthol (18.6 %), hexadecanoic acid (12.1 %), 1,8-cinole (11.7 %) and germacrene- D (11.6 %). (E)-Sesquilavandulol (39.5 %), β-caryophyllene (14.7 %) and caryophyllene oxide (11.6 %) were the predominant compounds in the oil of N. pungens. All oils consisted mainly of oxygenated monoterpenes except that of the N. pungens, which was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes.