Chemical composition of the essential of Thymus ciliatus (Desf).

Abstract

The Lamiaceae or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants with a cosmopolitan distribution containing about 236 genera and has been stated to contain 6900–7200 species [1]. In Algerian flora, there are 12 Thymus species from which 9 are endemic [2], among which Thymus ciliatus (Desf.) Benth, which is an endemic species from North Africa. Many Thymus species are used in various regions of the world in the treatment of bronchial, pulmonary, digestive and urinary infections and possess spasmolytic, antitussive and expectorant properties [3].
The essential oil of the aerial parts of Thymus ciliatus (Desf) belonging to the Lamiaceae family, was obtained by steam distillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. 75 components were identified corresponding to 95.27% of the total oil. The major constituents of the oil were elemol (6.80%), carvacrol (5.86%), γ-muurolene (5.18%), β-sesquiphellandrene (5.09%), bicyclogermacrene (5.04%) , β-Pinene (4.49%) and curcumene (4.20%) together with other compounds at relatively low levels: 1,8 -cineol (3.66%), β-eudesmol (2.92%), β-bisabolene (2.81%), β-silinene (2.75%), camphor (2.64%),germacrone (2.34%), α-zingiberene( 2.12%), δ-cadinene (2.08%).
It is interesting to notice that the chemical composition of the present essential oil differs from those reported in the literature. Our chemotype is exclusively characterized by high level of elemol, γ-muurolene β-sesquiphellandrene and bicyclogermacrene which have
not been found in any reported essential oil of T. ciliates.