Chemical composition of the essential oil of aerial parts of Haussknechtia elymaitica Boiss. from Iran: a good natural source for trans-asaron.

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Haussknechtia elymaitica Boiss. was investigated by capillary GC and GC/MS for the first time. Twelve components were identified which accounting for 99.7% of the oil composition. The major compounds were trans-asarone (59.9%), trans-methyl isoeugenol (22.4%), α-zingiberene (7.96%), β-sesquiphellandrene (4.7%) and β-bisabolene (4.3%). The first three compounds considered as the main components of the essential oil were isolated and characterised by spectroscopic techniques.