Composition of the essential oils from the aerial parts of five wild growing Valeriana species

Abstract

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from aerial parts of five Valeriana species, growing wild in Serbia and Montenegro, Valeriana officinalis L., V pancicii Halacsy et Bald., V. bertiscea Pancic, V. montana L. and V. braunii-blanquetii Lakusic were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The major compounds were found to be alpha-kessyl acetate (15.4%) and boniyl acetate (14.2%) in V. officinalis oil, patchouli alcohol (36.8%) in V. pancicii oil, isovaleric acid (13.2-39.0%) and 3-methylvaleric acid (10.0-30.8%) in the oils of V. bertiscea, V. montana and V. braunii-blanquetii.