Oil ofMelissa officinalisL., as Affected by Storage and Herb Drying

The essential oils of the fresh and dried herb Melissa officinalis L., grown in Egypt were subjected to GC/MS investigation. Among the 60 constituents separated, 21 were identified. The oil consisted mainly of geranial, neral, citronellal, caryophyllene oxide, β-caryophyllene and geraniol. Drying the herb prior to distillation did not change the qualitative composition of the oil, but the relative amount of some constituents was affected. Storage of the oil for one year under different conditions influenced die proportional content of some constituents. The most noticeable change was the increase in neral and geranial, while a decrease in β-caryphellyene, caryophyllene oxide and citronellal was experienced.