ABSTRACT
The essential oil from the aerial parts of Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag. (Apiaceae), collected in Ksob River (Algeria) and obtained by hydrodistillation, was analysed by GC-MS. Sixty-seven components have been identified, representing more than 98.7% of the total oil. The essential oil was found to be rich in terpinolene (32.9 ± 4.6%), myristicin (10.6 ± 2.3%), myrcene (6.2 ± 1.1%), limonene (6.0 ± 0.9%), γ-terpinene (5.9 ± 1.2%) and (Z)-caryophyllene (5.3 ± 1.0%).
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to analyse the essential oil of Lavandula dentata from Algeria and to test the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of this plant. The essential oil (EO) (57 constituents) included mainly α-pinene, ß-pinene, nopinone, linalool, cryptone, and limonene. The plant polyphenolic contents and the antioxidant activity were determined. The antimicrobial effect of the EO and the methanolic extract (ME) was assessed against referenced and clinical bacterial strains, and also foodborne fungal isolates. The EO minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values varied from 0.25 to 4 mg/mL and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were less than 8 mg/mL except for S. aureus, clinical Klebsiella, S. epidermidis, and B. subtilis. The mould strains were significantly inhibited by the EO (87.50% to 88.33%). The MIC values were 3.60-15.62 mg/mL and 0.5-4 mg/mL for ME and EO, respectively. The minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) values ranged from 31 to 125 mg/mL and from 2 to 8 mg/mL for ME and EO, respectively.
ABSTRACT
The chemical composition of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Anacyclus monanthos subsp. cyrtolepidioides (Pomel) Humphries (Asteraceae) growing in a semi-arid region of Algeria was investigated for the first time. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and fully characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 97 compounds were identified. The essential oil was found to be rich in trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (9.8 ± 2.0%), (E)-ß-farnesene (7.4 ± 1.5%), germacrene D (6.9 ± 1.3%) and myristicin (4.8 ± 0.8%).
Subject(s)
Asteraceae/chemistry , Oils, Volatile/chemistry , Plant Components, Aerial/chemistry , Algeria , Allylbenzene Derivatives , Benzyl Compounds/analysis , Bridged Bicyclo Compounds/analysis , Dioxolanes/analysis , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Monoterpenes/analysis , Oils, Volatile/isolation & purification , Pyrogallol/analogs & derivatives , Pyrogallol/analysis , Sesquiterpenes/analysis , Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane/chemistryABSTRACT
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The main aim of this study was to identify, catalogue and document the large number of wild medicinal plants used in the M'Sila region (northern Algeria) for the treatment of several human pathologies. Another more ambitious aim is to contribute to overcoming the limits of an orally transmitted pharmacopoeia, attempting to exploit the large ethnopharmacology patrimony of the region for further pharmacological purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our field study was carried out over a period of three years (2008-2010). During this period, herbalists were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires investigating the herbalist as a holder of information (gender, age and educational level) and about wild medicinal plants (local name, uses and part used). In addition, the relative importance value of the species was determined and informant consensus factor (ICF) was calculated for the medicinal plants included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 83 herbalists were interviewed; men dominate the practice of traditional medicine in the region. About 41% of them are between 31 and 40 years, and about a third (34%) are illiterate. The traditional herbal knowledge is passed from generation to generation in the verbal form, a writing tradition being almost totally absent. The interviewed herbalists identified and recorded 58 plants species and 50 genera belonging to 27 plant families. Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented plant families. The aerial parts were the most commonly used plant part, while infusion and decoction were the most common method of traditional drug preparation. CONCLUSIONS: The survey provides a veritable source of information on the herbalists and wild medicinal plants. Plants which are used in different parts of the world for the treatment of similar diseases may be deemed to be effective in pharmacological terms. These medicinal plants may be incorporated into the healthcare delivery system of the country.
