Chemical composition of essential oil of Thymus vulgaris collected from Saudi Arabian market

Abstract

Objective: To focus on the analysis of chemical constituents of the Thymus vulgaris L. (locally known as “Zaitra” or “Za'atar”; Family: Lamiaceae) which is available in the market of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The Zaitra oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mass spectra were compared with the standard spectra available in National Institute Standard and Technique library. Results: The results indicated that the Thymus oil is composed of many chemical compounds including α pinene, thymol and caryophyllene which are biologically active and also used in various diseases. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the Thymus vulgaris due to presence of many bioactive compounds can be used as a new potential source of medicine for the treatment of various types of illness.

Keywords

• Essential oil
• GC–MS
• Saudi Arabian herbs
• Thymus vulgaris