Antioxidant Activity and Chemical Composition of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oil from Iran.

The aim of present study was to evaluation the antioxidant potential ofRosmarinus officinalison the basis of the chemical compositions of oils obtained by hydrodistillation. Hydrodistilled volatile oils from the aerial parts ofR.officinalisL. which gathered in Kermanshah province, Iran were investigated. Twenty components were identified in the oils. The main constituents of the essential oils in aerial parts were α-pinene (43.12 %), camphene (10.5 %), 1,8-cineole (10.02 %), camphor (8.07 %), linalool (8.09 %) and limonene (6.12 %). Other components were amounts less than 2 %. The samples were screened for their antioxidant activities using 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay methods. 1,8-Cineole (11.01±0.41 µg/ ml) showed appreciable antioxidant activity in DPPH test. These results indicate thatR. officinaliscompounds might be applicable in natural medicine and healthy food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]