Phytochemical studies on the extract and essential oils of Artemisia dracunculus L. (Tarragon)

Artemisia dracunculus L. (Tarragon) is a species of flowering plant within the family Asteraceae, commonly used as a dietary seasoning. During the present study, the plant was collected from Indian Institute of Integrative Medicines (IIIM Srinagar). Air dried shoots (room temperature 25-35°C) were used to extract essential oil using Clevenger type apparatus for 3 h and analyzed. Thirty-four (34) compounds were identified using gas chromatography- flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Major constituents of the essential oil were trans-Anethole (28.06%), Z-β-ocimene (15.79%), a- Terpenolene (10.12%), Elemecin (10.08%), 1, 8 cineole (7.71%) and a-copaene (2.78%), etc. Comparing our results with those of other Artemisia species already published in the literature revealed considerable qualitative and quantitative similarity of the major constituents of the essential oils. As trans-Anethole is the major constituent, this chemo type may be useful for industrial exploitation as well as chemotaxonomic characterization. Key words: Artemisia dracunculus, Terpenolene, Z-β-ocimene, trans-Anethole.