Chemical Analysis of the Essential Oil from Tagetes minuta

Abstract

Tagetes minuta Linn. is a highly aromatic herb that grows wild on the North-West Himalayas between the altitudes of 1,250 and 2,500 m. The aerial part of the plant, on hydro distillation, yielded 1.2% of yellow-brown colored essential oil, on a dry weight basis, having a strong aromatic odor. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry examination of the oil showed that it contains tagetone and trans-caryo hyllene as major constituents. The other constituents identified were B-bisabolene, carvotanacetone, carvacrol, citral, B-cubebene, p-cymene, dihydrotagetone, iso-eugenol, B-inone, linalyl acetate, linalool, isolimonene, methyl-n-heptyl ketone, B-myrcene, menthol, nerolidol, 2-nonanone, B-ocimene, ocimenone, 1-penten-3-ol, phenyl acetaldehyde, a-pinene, spathulenol, a-terpineol, and Y-terpineol.

Keywords

• science