ABSTRACT
Althaea rosea is a type of mallow plant. Its dry flowers are one of common herb in Uyghur medicines and recorded to have several efficacies such as external application for detumescence, moistening lung and arresting cough, sweating and relieving asthma, diminishing swelling and promoting eruption, soothing the nerves and strengthening heart. However, there are only fewer studies on effective components of A. rosea and no literature about its volatile oil and pharmacological activity. In this paper, the volatile oil of A. rosea was obtained by using the chemical distillation and extraction method. The individual chemical components were separated from the volatile oil and identified by the Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer technique (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity against free radicals was detected by the'ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometer method. The antibiotic activity was detected by the filter paper diffusion method. The experimental results showed nearly 70 compounds in the volatile oil, with complex chemical components. With a low content, most of the compounds were aromatic and aliphatic compounds and their derivatives. A. rosea had a better antibiotic activity for common microorganisms, with a wide antibacterial spectrum. According to the results, the volatile oil of A. rosea will have a good application value in medicine, food and cosmetic industries, which provided a scientific basis for the development of natural A. rosea resources.