Chemical composition of the essential oil of Salvia officinalis L. from Romania

The quantitative and qualitative analysis of essential oils obtained from Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) cultivated in Romania is reported in this paper.

The essential oils were obtained from fresh and dried material harvested from plants cultivated in Cluj (Romania) and from 2 commercial samples, by hydrodistillation. The essential oils were analysed by GS-MS.

12 compounds were found in each oil, 9 of them being common in all samples. The alpha-thujone was the major compound in all analysed oils (31.23-52.86%), followed by camphor and viridiflorol. Chemically, the oxygenated monoterpenes are present in highest quantity (49.78-79.2%).

The monoterpenoid ketones' presence (á-thujone, â-thujone, camphor) in high amounts in the essential oils of Romanian sage may develop toxicity for these products and may limit their medicinal use.