[P-062]
THE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION OF CHAMOMILE PLANT POPULATIONS ON THE EAST-SLOVAKIAN LOWLAND

Ivan SALAMON and Igor DANIELOVIC
Research Institute of Agroecology, 1273 Spitalska St., SK-071 01 Michalovce, Slovakia

INTRODUCTION

Chamomile, Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert, is the most favored and most used medicinal plants. Phytotherapeutically useful are primarily flower anthodia, and this drug (Flos chamomillae) is included into the pharmacopoeias of 26 countries all over the world. A substantial part of drug effects are determined by the essential oil content. Among the essential oil constituents the most active are (-)-a-bisabolol and chamazulene. (-)-a-bisabolol has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, vulnerary activity and antiulcer activity. Chamazulene is also anti-inflammatory. Both substances have shown spasmolytic effects (Morgan, 1996).

This contribution is aimed at the study of the essential oil content and its composition variability in naturally growing population on the East-Slovakian Lowland.


MATERIAL AND METHODS

Plant material, chamomile anthodia, was collected from natural sites on the East-Slovakian Lowland during four years (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998). Essential oils from dry flowers were isolated by hydrodistillation. Distillation lasted for 2 hours; sample weights were 2 g of dry drug matter. The modified distillation apparatus by Coocking & Middleton (Humphrey, 1992) were used. Composition of chamomile essential oil was determined by capillary GC analysis: Hewlett-Packard 5890 Series II with FID and split-splitless system for injection. The column was used HP-5 (50 m long x 0.20 mm I.D.). The following temperature program was used: 90°C (0 min), then 10°C·min -1 to 150°C (5 min), then 5°C·min-1 to 180°C (3 min), then 7°C·min-1 to finally isothermal 280°C for 25 min; nitrogen was used as carrier gas. Peak areas and retention times were measured by electronic integration with a Hewlett-Packard 3396 Series II integrator. Determination of main components of chamomile essential oil was realized on the basis of use of standard pure compounds and knowledge gotten by studied of technical literature.


RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

German chamomile, Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert, can be found in the secondary plant communities on the East-Slovak lowland, such as trodden societies on dry and moist soils, weed societies, and dump societies. Plant genepool material was collected from 10 or 11 in situ localities each year (1995,1996,1997 and 1998); 42 samples were investigated together. Percentage of essential oil content in dry chamomile flowers and its qualitative and quantitative characteristics, which were determined by a gas chromatography, are presented the table 1.

The Slovak large-scale cultivation is realized through the breed varieties and the content of their essential oil is about 1.1%. Chamomile flowers, which are collected from the natural localities, have a lower % of the essential oil, from 0.30 to 0.97.


Table 1. Essential oil content (in %) and its composition (in %) of dry chamomile flowers from natural sites on the East-Slovakian Lowland
Localities on the East-Slovakian lowland
% of essential oil
Basic Composition of Essential Oil in %
Fa
Bo
Ch
BoA
Michalovce ('95,'96,'97,'98)
Vojany ('95, '96, '97, '98) 
Vysoka n/U ('95, '96, '97)
Vybuchanec ('95, '96) 
Trebisov ('96, '97)
V. Raskovce ('97, '98)
Krisovska Lieskova ('96, '98)
Bajany ('95, '98)
N. Hrabovec ('95 )
Vranov n/T ('95 )
Moravany ('95 )
Sirnik ('95 )
M. Raskovce ('96 )
Rakovec n/O ('96 )
Cierne Pole ('96 )
Tibava ('96 )
Stretava ('96 )
Besa ('96 )
V. Kapusany ('96 )
Zaluzice ('97) 
Pavlovce n/U ('97 ) 
Pozdisovce ( '97 ) 
Bracovce ('97) 
Malcice ( '97 ) 
Trhoviste ('97 ) 
Vojcice ( '98 )
Novosad ( '98 )
Hran ( '98 )
Zemplinska Branc ( '98 )
0.55 - 0.91
0.40 - 0.71
0.75 - 0.96
0.52 - 0.97
0.50 - 0.60 
0.65 - 0.70
0.53 - 0.90
0.60 - 0.74
0.61
0.82
0.93
0.86
0.63
0.92
0.72
0.85
0.60
0.62
0.55
0.75
0.60
0.30
0.74
0.82
0.90
0.97
0.70
0.60
0.50
1.2 -6.1 
5.3-10.5
8.1-13.2
6.0-6.1
11.7-13.6
4.2-18.0
4.0-12.2
1.5-3.2
3.8
4.1
4.6
4.0
9.9
8.0
8.3
12.6
2.9
7.4
7.9
15.5
15.2
17.2
16.1
15.9
15.7
2.1
1.5
2.9
0.4
2.6-6.8
3.4-6.1
4.4-6.8
6.6-6.7
2.9-3.0
3.2-3.5
2.5-6.6
3.8-5.1
4.9
5.2
9.6
6.2
4.8
5.0
4.5
5.1
7.7
6.0
6.9
5.2
6.8
6.8
4.7
2.4
5.1
5.1
4.0
5.5
3.2
6.3-7.5
5.0-9.1
4.4-10.1
5.4-5.5
10.1-10.2
6.9-10.1
3.8-4.0
4.7-7.4
10.8
7.6
9.9
10.6
10.2
11.0
9.8
9.0
10.8
8.3
6.9
4.4
6.3
5.8
6.9
8.9
6.2
7.6
12.0
9.5
7.7
28.9-40.4
39.8-48.4
38.5-48.9
43.1-43.6
36.1-42.5
33.1-37.8
36.7-42.2
32.8-52.9
34.6
48.3
37.9
44.0
36.2
42.3
43.8
36.8
45.6
45.3
48.7
33.9
41.6
26.6
36.2
30.2
38.6
42.8
39.9
35.8
49.2
Notes; Fa: Farnesene, Bo: (-)-a-Bisabolol , Ch: Chamazulene, BoA: (-)-a-Bisabololoxide A.

According to the study of chamomile's pharmacodynamic properties, the sesquiterpenes: (-)-a-bisabolol and chamazulene are considered to be the most valuable constituents. Chamomile, which was collected from natural habitats has (-)-a-bisabolol content from 2.4 to 9.6% and chamazulene from 3.8 to 11.0%. The highest content about 52.9% and less of unimportant compound, such as (-)-a-bisabololoxide A is typical for chamomile population in the East-Slovakian lowland. The content of farnesene is very variable and dependent upon a quantity of the green flower parts.


CONCLUSIONS

These results are showed that there is a bisabololoxide chemotype of chamomile (Schilcher, 1987) with the lower content of essential oil on the East-Slovakian Lowland.


REFERENCES

  1. Humphrey A.M. (1992): Observation on Ess. Oil Distillation in the Laboratory. Books of Abstracts from the 23rd ISEO. Ayr, Scotland, U.K., p. 31.

  2. Morgan M. (1996): Chamomile from a Clinical Perspective. Modern Phytotherapist. 1(3), 17-19

  3. Schilcher H. (1987): Die Kamille. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. Stuttgart. 152 s.

[P-062]