Carvone-Rich Essential Oils fromMentha longifolia(L.) Huds. ssp.schimperiBriq. andMentha spicataL. Grown in Sudan

Steam distillation of the aerial parts of Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. ssp. schimperi Briq. and Mentha spicata L. growing in Sudan yielded oil contents of 1.8% and 0.9%, respectively. Analysis of the oils by GC and GC/MS revealed that both oils were found to be rich in carvone. Twenty-two compounds were identified in each oil, the major ones being carvone (67.3%, 78.9%), limonene (13.5%, 8.8%), 1,8-cineole (5.4%, 2.6%), menthone (2.9%, 1.6%), linalool (2.8%, 3.2%) and isomenthone (1.2%, 0.6%) for M. longifolia and M. spicata, respectively.