The essential oil of OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM, growing wild in Rwanda, was investigated by LSC, GLC, and GC-MS. The oil contained 35% thymol and 11% eugenol, which may indicate the occurrence of a new chemotype of the species. A large amount of hydrocarbons (42%) including 18% P-cymene was also found. The oil showed a relatively strong antimicrobial effect. The oil of O. GRATISSIMUM, cultivated in Rwanda from seeds collected in Cameroon, consisted of 47% thymol and only 0.3% eugenol. This sample contained 49% hydrocarbons, including 23% gamma-terpinene. Most of the constituents detected in the oil samples were not previously known to be present in the essential oil of O. GRATISSIMUM.
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Ntezurubanza et al. (1987) studied this question.