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Updated: May 7, 2026

Field Identification of Matricaria chamomilla using a Portable qPCR System
Published on: October 10, 2020
Hydroxylated bisabolol oxides: evidence for secondary oxidative metabolism in Matricaria chamomilla
Cristina Avonto1, Mei Wang, Amar G Chittiboyina
1National Center for Natural Products Research, The University of Mississippi , Mississippi 38677, United States.
Abstract:
German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is one of the most popular medicinal plants used in Western herbal medicine. Among the various phytochemicals present in the essential oil of the flowers of German chamomile, bisabolol and its oxidized metabolites are considered as marker compounds for distinguishing different chemotypes. These compounds are influential in mediating the aroma of the essential oil of M. chamomilla and contribute to the therapeutic properties (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, insecticidal, and antiulcer) of this species. In order to find other possible bisabolol derivatives as marker compounds for authentication of German chamomile in botanical and commercial products, an in-depth investigation using a GC-assisted fractionation procedure was performed on nonpolar fractions. As a result of this approach, three new hydroxylated derivatives of bisabolol oxides A and B (1-3) have been isolated from M. chamomilla. Plausible biogenetic pathways are presented.
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