VARIATION OF ESSENTIAL OIL COMPONENTS OF ATRACTYLODES CHINENSIS GROWING IN CHINA

In a previous paper, we reported the variation of essential oil compon ents contained in a rhizome of Atractylodes lancea that is a botanical origin of Chinese crude drug ''Cangzhu (sic). '' In this paper, A. ch inensis, an another botanical origin of this drug, was investigated in the same manner. The plant (179 individuals) growing wild was collect ed in Hebei, Shangdong and the North of Jiangsu provinces, China at fl owering time. A. koreana that has been an origin of the drug was also obtained at the Shangdong peninsula. Six essential oil components, tha t is elemol (1), atractylon (2), hinesol (3), beta-eudesmol (4), selin a-4(14),7(11)-dien-8-one (5) and atractylodin (6) contained in their r hizomes were determined with GC. Two types were recognized for a speci es A. chinensis according to the statistical analysis of essential oil components. One type is characterized by containing 3 and 4 as main c omponents, and the plants belonging to this type are distributed in th e North of the Huang-He river. Another type is characterized by contai ning 2 or 6 as main components, and the plants belonging to this type are distributed in the South of this river. Deposition of a white cott on like crystal was not observed from examined the plants. Compound 2 was detected in all the populations of A. chinensis including A. korea na. Especially, 6 was contained in all examined the plants. These resu lts were compared with those of A. lancea.