Essential oil of two Lippia spp. (Verbenaceae) growing wild in Guatemala

The essential oils from Lippia alba and L. graveolens, growing wild in Guatemala, were obtained by hydrodistillation. The oil contents were 0.22% (L. alba) and 0.26% (L. graveolens) (v/w), on a dry weight basis. The oil compositions were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Essential oil from L. alba was characterized by a high amount of limonene (43.6%) and piperitone (30.6%). The essential oil of L. graveolens consisted mainly of thymol (31.6%) and sesquiterpenes. Caryophyllene (4.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (4.8%) were the main components of the sesquiterpenoidic fraction. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.