Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil of Cannabis sativa subsp. sativa L. from the Al-Hoceima province in northern Morocco

Cannabis sativa subsp. sativa L. is an industrial plant that has gained importance due to its essential oil (EO), which has commercial, medical, and potential cosmetic applications. Despite its significance, the chemical constituents of the C. sativa EO cultivated in Morocco is not well understood. In this context, the current study aimed to define and analyze the volatile fraction and evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the plant C. sativa EO for the first time in the Al-Hoceima province in northern Morocco. To assess its chemical composition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized after hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-style apparatus. The analysis revealed that caryophyllene, α-humulene, and β-myrcene were the major constituents, accounting for 31.77%, 11.21%, and 8.76% of the EO, respectively. Antioxidant activity results indicate that the potency of C. sativa EO is interesting (IC50 = 4.45 mg/mL) for the DPPH● (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) test. These findings indicate that the C. sativa EO may serve as a natural source of antioxidants.