Essential oils from three Myrcia species

The oils of three samples of the leaves and fine stems of Myrcia bracteata, M. cuprea and M. sylvatica were obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC–MS. The main compounds found in the oils of M. bracteata were (E)‐nerolidol (80.8%) for the sample B‐1; (E)‐β‐farnesene (33.9%) for the sample B‐2; and spathulenol (31.0%) for the sample B‐3. The oils of M. cuprea were dominated by myrcene (48.1%) and β‐caryophyllene (19.9%) in the sample C‐1; by β‐caryophyllene (39.1%), myrcene (19.2%) and α‐pinene (15.9%) in the sample C‐2; and by β‐caryophyllene (38.1%), germacrene D (21.8%) and germacrene B (19.5%) in the sample C‐3. The major constituents identified in the oils of M. sylvatica were selin‐11‐en‐4‐α‐ol (24.7%), caryophyllene oxide (16.6%) and spathulenol (13.8%) in the sample S‐1; by cis‐calamenene (30.1%) and spathulenol (18.7%) in the sample S‐2; and by spathulenol (40.2%) and β‐bisabolene (14.7%) in the sample S‐3.