Composition of the essential oil from leaves of Litsea guatemalensis

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the leaves of Litsea guatemalensis from Guatemala was analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS; 74 constituents (97.3% of the total sample) were identified. Oxygenated monoterpenoids constituted the main fraction (72.2%), the major ones being 1,8-cineole (26.8%), alpha-terpineol (14.5%) and linalool (10.8%), whereas sesquiterpenes only reached 8.8% of the sample analysed. Linalool, a-terpineol and 1,8-cineole have clearly demonstrated antiseptic activity, the latter being also reported to stimulate expectoration and respiratory secretions. The high contents found for these in L. guatemalensis essential oil suggest the possibility of exploiting this oil in the pharmaceutical industry. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.