Essential oils from aerial parts of Aristolochia gibertii Hook.

The leaf and stem volatile constituents of Aristolochia gibertii Hook., obtained by hydrodistillation, were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes (20-21), amounting to 77.8-80.3% of the total oil, were identified in the leaf oils, bicyclogermacrene being the main component (38.1-42.2%). Components (28-35) were identified in the oils isolated from the stems, constituting 86.6-92.3% of the total volatiles. These oils were dominated by limonene (38.5-56.8%). The leaf and stem oils were also found to contain the sesquiterpene lactone, aristolactone, in varying amounts (1.6-9.9%). The olfactory profiles of these oils were characterized and found to have very interesting organoleptic qualities. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.