Compositional Analysis of the Essential Oil Extracted From Cyperus scariosus R. Br. Populations Collected From India

The Indian subcontinent is home to the wild species Cyperus scariosus R. Br. (Cyperaceae). The rhizome, called nagarmotha, has long been used traditionally in perfumery and medicine. The purpose of this study was to examine variations in the yield, chemical composition, and physical characteristics of the essential oils of C. scariosus, which grow wild throughout the Indian subcontinent. Chromatographic and spectroscopic methods were used to analyze essential oils from 26 samples collected in 10 different states. The study found that the essential oil composition and quantity varied greatly, ranging from 0.32 ± 0.02 to 1.05 ± 0.05%. A total of 107 chemical components, accounting for 81.0%-91.6% of the rhizome essential oils, were identified. Major components of the rhizome essential oils were cyperene (6.3%-32.0%), cyperotundone (3.1%-26.8%), mustakone (0.2%-13.3%), caryophyllene oxide (0.1%-13.1%), valencene (<0.05%-11.8%), isopatchoula-3,5-diene + α-copaene (0.3%-8.6%), nootkatone (0.1%-7.8%), rotundene (1.8%-7.4%), and β-selinene (<0.05%-7.1%). In addition, the aerial portion of the plant, which is regarded as agro-waste showed the presence of drimenol (5.3%-23.8%), hexadecanoic acid (15.9%-22.3%), phytol (3.0%-9.7%), caryophyllene oxide (6.3%-8.6%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (2.2%-6.2%), cyperotundone (0.4%-3.7%), heptadecanal (0.6%-3.3%), mustakone (0.2%-1.6%), and cubebol (0.2%-1.0%) along with other thirty minor constituents. The results can serve as a valuable tool in verifying the authenticity of cypriol oil.