Abstract

Evaluating the Composition of Matricaria Recutita L. Flowers Essential Oil in Hydroponic Culture

Author(s): Nasrallah Dehkordi Ghasemi, Gholamreza Asghari, Akbar Mostajeran and Ali Madadi Najafabadi

Chamomile plant (Matricaria recutita L.) is an herbaceous plant, which is belong to family of Compositae. Chamomile is an annual plant with 20 to 80 cm in height, which grows different environment such as farms, gardens, roadsides and arid lands as well as in the shades. Iranian chamomile's flowers usually contain 0.4% essential oils, in which bisabolol sesquiterpens, bisabolol oxide, bisabolone oxide, farnesene and chamazulene constitute the main portion of the essence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition of chamomile's flowers essential oils in hydroponic culture. Chamomile plant was grown in hydroponic culture contains Hoagland's solution; The flowers were harvested at the end of growing season (when plants were three months old) and then dried. Essential oils were obtained by distillation with water steam using BP (British pharmacopeia) apparatus. Finally, analysis of the essential oils were accomplished by GC-MS and TLC methods. Of the compounds identified in the Matricaria recutita L. flowers essential oil, bisabolol oxide A, with 59.53%, bisabolone oxide with 29.86%, bisabolol oxide B with 6.57%, chamazulene with 2.27%, spathulenol with 1.32% and farnesene with 1.23% are notable, respectively.