Chemical Composition of Volatile Fraction of Fresh and DryArtemisia capillarisThunb. from Kumaon Himalaya

In order to investigate the influence of drying, the essential oil from fresh, shade dried and sun dried flowering twigs of Artemisia capillaris was compared. The essential oil content was found higher in fresh herb (0.63 %) compared to dry materials (0.57 %). GC and GC-MS analysis enabled identification of twenty five components, representing 93.8 % - 95.0 % of the total oil. The major components of these oils were capillene (32.5 % - 39.6 %), γ-terpinene (26.4 % -34.3 %), eugenol (7.4 % - 10.1 %), β-caryophyllene (4.8 % - 7.9 %) and ρ-cymene (2.0 % - 5.1 %). Interestingly, capillene content was found to decrease, whereas γ-terpinene and eugenol increased on drying. The study suggested that the A. capillaris biomass should be distilled afresh for better oil yield and quality under hill conditions of Kumaon Himalaya.