Variation in the essential oil of Achillea wilhelmsii C. Koch. and A. millefolium L. apical shoots in different developmental stages in Martyrs Valley, West Azerbaijan province: A Case example

In this research, apical shoots of Achillea wilhelmsii and A. millefolium at three different developmental stages including thevegetative, flowering and fruiting stages from natural habitat, Martyrs Valley, in West Azerbaijan were collected. Essential oil samples were extracted by water - distillation method (Clevenger apparatus) and were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The results showed that at different harvest times, in addition to yield, quality and quantity of essential oils were also reported to differ. Of the total compounds identified in the essential oil of A. wilhelmsii, 36 and 16 constituents belonged to monoterpenes (69.23 percent) and sesquiterpens (30.76 percent), respectively. So monoterpenes had the highest share in compounds. In the essential oil of A. millefolium, 37 compounds identified as monoterpene (56.92%) and 28 compounds (43.07%) as the sesquiterpene. The most important compounds in the essential oil of A. millefolium, were 1-8 cineole, camphene, borneol and camphor that 1-8 cineole, camphene & borneol and camphor in May, June and July had the highest value, respectively. Among the major constituents of the essential oil of A. wilhelmsii, compounds camphor, camphene, 1-8 cineol, borneol, 3,5 heptadien 2 ol, 2,6 dimethyl and α-pinene were the highest in the vegetative stage. 1-8 cineole, borneol, myrtanol and thujone were the highest in the fruiting stage. α- linalool, ocimenol, borneol, myrtanol and camphor were the highest in the flowering stage. The results showed that quality and quantity of the essential oils vary in different species and phenological stages. As a result, they havedifferent pharmaceutical actions