Chemical Composition of Essential Oils and Toxicological evaluation of Tagetes erecta and Tagetes patula from Venezuela

The essential oils from the flowers of Tagetes erecta and Tagetes patula, two plants widely used in traditional medicine of America and Africa countries, were obtained by hydrodistillation. The oil composition was analyzed by GC-MS. Twenty five compounds were identified in the oil of T erecta, of which linalool (22.5 %), 2-hexyl-1-decanol (18.3 %), piperitone (13.4 %), 4-terpinyl acetate (7.8 %) and caryophyllene (6.6 %) are the main components. In the essential oil of T patula 21 compounds were identified, and (x-terthienyl (43.1 %), pentatriacontane (23.9 %), and 2-ethyl-1-dodecanol (7.9 %) are the major constituents. The essential oils were tested for their toxicological potential on mice, the results showed that the oils of these species have a low toxicity with a TD50 99.6 mg/kg for T. erecta and 112 mg/Kg for T. patula.