Volatolomics of Three South African Helichrysum Species Grown in Pot under Protected Environment

Helichrysum decorum DC, Helichrysum lepidissimum S. Moore, and Helichrysum umbraculigerum are three species traditionally used in the South African medicine. The present work deals with the investigation of the spontaneous emission and the essential oils obtained from these plants cultivated in open field under uniform conditions. Fractions of the volatile organic compounds of the three species were rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, representing more than 70% of the total composition. Pinene isomers were the most representative compounds: β-pinene in H. decorum (53.0%), and α-pinene in H. lepidissimum (67.9%) and H. umbraculigerum (54.8%). These latter two species evidenced an important amount of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (SH) especially represented by γ-curcumene (H. lepidissimum) and α- and β-selinene (H. umbraculigerum). On the contrary, in the EOs, sesquiterpenes compounds prevailed, representing more than 64% of the identified fraction to reach more than 82 and 87% in H. umbraculigerum and H. lepidissimum, respectively. Although the chemical classes and their relative abundances were comparable among the three species, the individual compounds of EOs showed large differences. In fact, caryophyllene oxide (26.7%) and γ-curcumene (17.4%) were the main constituents in H. decorum, and H. lepidissimum respectively, while neo-intermedeol (11.2%) and viridiflorol (10.6%) characterized H. umbraculigerum.

Composition of Helichrysum thianschanicum Regel Essential Oil from Pamir (Tajikistan)

Helichrysum thianschanicum Regel was collected from Khorugh town of Kuhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Province of Tajikistan. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. A total of 67 compounds were identified representing 88.4% of the total essential oil composition. The major components of H. thianschanicum essential oil were ( E)-1-(6,10-dimethylundec-5-en-2-yl)-4-methylbenzene (pentylcurcumene) (21.6%), β-selinene (6.4%), δ-selinene (3.8%), (2 E, 6 E)-farnesol (3.3%), nerol (4.1%) and neryl decanoate (4.2%). To our best knowledge, no previous studies have been reported on the chemical composition of the essential oil of H. thianschanicum.