Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Abstract
Lovage (Levisticum officinale Koch.) is a perennial plant from Apiaceae family which is cultivated in many countries for medicinal uses. Active substance of this plant is used as a diuretic to cure kidney stones and urinary diseases. To evaluate the quantitative and qualitative changes in essential oil of flowers and fruits, this experiment was carried out at Zardband in the north of Tehran. Flower samples were harvested at full flowering stage and fruits were harvested at immature and ripe stages. After drying in room temperature at 250C, the essential oil was extracted with hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus. The results showed that the total yield of essential oil (w/w) in the flowers, immature and ripe fruits were 0.6%, 1.8% and 2.8% respectively. The essential oil was analyzed by using GC and GC-MS. The identified constituents in the essential oil of flower, immature and ripe fruits were respectively 18, 19, 19 components. In essential oil of the flowers, the main compounds were Z-ligustilide (52.4%), β-phellandrene (26.6%) and α-terpinyl acetate (10.4%). However, the composition changed as follows: β-phellandrene (47.8%), Z-ligustilide (38.5%) and α-terpinyl acetate (3.6%) for immature fruits and Z-ligustilide (35.1%), β-phellandrene (34.4%) and α-terpinyl acetate (4.2%) for ripe fruits as the major compounds. The results revealed that the percentage and the components of the essential oil in various organs of this plant were different, and ripe fruits were the best source for extraction of the essential oil, with regard to the essential oil yield.
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