Chemical composition of the essential oil of creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum s.l.) growing wild in Lithuania

The results on the chemical composition of the essential oils hydrodistille d from three forms of T. serpyllum growing wild in the Curonian Spit (west of Lithuania) are presented in this study. GC and GC/MS results of volatile oils show that the analysed plants can be defined as a specific chemotype within the Serpyllum section, which can be characterised by a high content of 1,8-cineole (16.3-19.0%) in the essential oil. In addition, one form of the plants with white-coloured blossoms was exceptionally rich in E-carvyl acetate (18.7%). Phenolic compounds, thymol and carvacol, were not detected in the T. serpyllum plants analysed, which is a characteristic feature of the Serpyllum species growing in the Northern European countries.