Volatile constituents of Algerian Artemisia herba-alba essential oils.

The composition of the essential oils of six individual plants ofArtemisia herba-albaAsso, growing wild in six different locations from southern Algeria, were investigated by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in combination with retention indices. Accounting for 76.3–97.2% of the oils, 132 constituents were identified, predominantly α-thujone (trace–47.1%), camphor (5.6–30.0%), chrysanthenone (trace–13.5%), β-thujone (trace–9.2%), 1,8-cineole (4.1–11.4%),cis-jasmone (0.8–12.1%) and davanone (trace–34.0.%). Regarding the α- and β-thujone toxicity and the extensive use ofA. herba-albaas an aromatic and medicinal plant in folk medicine, we report here, with previous investigations, the thujone content of forty individual plants ofA. herba-albagrowing wild in sixteen different locations from the high table-lands, steppes and Sahara desert of Algeria. The available data indicate a high degree of variability in the percentage of the two constituents. Large amounts were present in essential oils of Ghardaia (88.9%), Ain-Sefra (59.0%), Laghouat (57.7%) and Sebdou (55.7%). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]