GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF THE VOLATILE OILS OF2 TEUCRIUM POLIUM VARIETIES

The volatile oils of two varieties of Teucrium polium viz. T. polium L . var. album (Mill.) Fiori growing in Sinai, Egypt and T. pilosum L. v ar. pilosum (Decne) growing in Qatar were compared by capillary GC-MS. Ninety-three components were detected in the two oils, 64 in the form er and 68 in the latter, 70 of which were identified. The results show that sesquiterpenoids, especially the sesquiterpene alcohols, compose the major part of either of the oils. The marked qualitative as well as quantitative differences between the two oils could be used as chem otaxonomic markers. The antispasmodic activity of T. polium oil could be attributed to its high content in sesquiterpene alcohols.