Abstract

Composition of volatile oil of sambul-ut-teeb (Nardostachys jatamansi DC.), an endangered species

Author(s): Kamran Javed Naquvi, S.H.Ansari, Mohammed Ali

The hydro-distilled volatile oil of Nardostachys jatamansi rhizome was analyzed using GC and GC-MS. The volatile oil were consists of large number of sesquiterpenes (76.65 %) and aliphatic components (16.29 %) while monoterpenes (5.11%) and diterpenes (1.48%) were present in fewer amounts. Among twenty eight sesquiterpenes (76.65 %), seven were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (2.22 %), sixteen were sesquiterpene alcohols (34.31 %), one sesquiterpene ketone (36.71 %), two oxides (0.15 %) and one each sesquiterpene ester (1.76 %) and sesquiterpene aldehyde (0.50 %). Prominent sesquiterpenes were á-cadinol (22.67 %), á-eudesmol (3.00 %), 5-neo-cedranol (2.51 %), muurolol (1.37 %) and jatamansone or valeranone (36.71 %). Among fourteen aliphatic components (16.29 %), there were six aliphatic hydrocarbons (1.47%), threewere aliphatic alcohols (0.47 %), one aliphatic aldehyde (0.04 %) and two each aliphatic esters (12.74 %), and aliphatic acids (1.57 %). Hexadecanoic ethyl ester and tetradecanoic acid (1.51%) were the predominent among aliphatic components.