Study on the quantitative and qualitative diversity of essential oil in four wild Salvia spp. in Kashan region

Different species of Salvia genus are used in folk medicine for the prevention and treatment of many diseases due to their active and effective compounds. In this research, the chemical composition of aerial parts essential oil (EO) was studied in four Salvia spp. including S. limbata C. A. Mey. (two populations), S. reuterana Boiss. (two populations), S. syriaca L. (one population) and S. ceratophylla L. (one population) collected from different areas of Kashan in Isfahan province at the flowering stage. Extraction and qualitative analysis of EO were performed using the Clevenger apparatus and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. In this study, the EO yield ranged from 0.15 to 0.32 % (w/w). Spathulenol was the major constituent of EO in S. syriaca (16.8%) and S. ceratophylla (27.2%) species. The major compounds of the other two species EO were sclareol in S. reuterana (Maragh (21.2%) and Darreh (11.5%) populations) and β-pinene in S. limbata (Qaza-An (20.4%) and Darreh (13.8%) populations). The quantitative and qualitative EO diversity observed in the studied species and populations can be attributed to different ecological, genetic, geographical, and nutritional factors of their origin. Therefore, for the optimal use of the active constituents of this medicinal plant in pharmaceutical industries, more studies are needed on the different species of this genus in different regions.