Aroma Compounds of Fresh Leaves and their Dried Powders in Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa

This study aimed to investigate the aroma compounds in fresh leaves and their dried powders in Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa (yamato-tōki). Essential oils were extracted from the dried powders of leaves in A. acutiloba Kitagawa using a simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) technique and analyzed using GC/MS. The phthalides in the essential oils were accounted for 41.46%, followed by sesquiterpene hydrocarbonds (19.45%) and monoterpene hydrocarbonds (18.74%). A major component in the oils, detected at 34.95%, was isolated using silica gel column chromatography and determined as (Z)-ligustilide using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. We also purified (Z)-butylidenephthalide as the minor phthalide. In the oils extracted from fresh leaves using SDE, the monoterpene hydrocarbonds were accounted for 52.69%, followed by phthalides (20.95%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbonds (10.63%). The most dominant aroma compound identified was γ-terpinene, followed by (Z)-ligustilide, p-cymene and β-caryophyllene using GC/MS. Both oils exhibited a celery-like aroma. It could be revealed that investigations on the composition of related phthalides in Angelica varieties are necessary to clarify their therapeutic effects and mechanisms.