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Chemical Composition of Root Essential Oil of Acorus calamus L.

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Abstract

The rhizome and leaf essential oil compositions of Acorus calamus L. (Araceae) have been investigated in detail from various parts of the world, but the root oil composition has rarely been investigated. In present study, the root essential oil composition of A. calamus was investigated using gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry. A total of 21 constituents, forming 76.6 % of the total oil composition were identified. Major constituents of the oil were β-gurjunene (28.0 %), (Z)-asarone (13.7 %), aristolene (13.4 %), and (E)-asarone (7.9 %). The root oil composition was quite different from rhizome and leaf oil compositions of A. calamus.

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Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India for financial support through XII-FYP networking project (BSC0203) at the CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, India. They are thankful to the Director, CSIR-CIMAP for encouragement and the Central Instrument Facility (CSIR-CIMAP) for providing facility for GC/MS analysis.

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Correspondence to Ram S. Verma.

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Verma, R.S., Padalia, R.C. & Chauhan, A. Chemical Composition of Root Essential Oil of Acorus calamus L.. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. 38, 121–125 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-014-0304-x

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