The antioxidant activity of a commercial rectified clove leaf essential oil (Eugenia caryophyllus) and its main constituent eugenol was tested. This essential oil comprises in total 23 identified constituents, among them eugenol (76.8%), followed by beta-caryophyllene (17.4%), alpha-humulene (2.1%), and eugenyl acetate (1.2%) as the main components. The essential oil from clove demonstrated scavenging activity against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydracyl (DPPH) radical at concentrations lower than the concentrations of eugenol, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). This essential oil also showed a significant inhibitory effect against hydroxyl radicals and acted as an iron chelator. With respect to the lipid peroxidation, the inhibitory activity of clove oil determined using a linoleic acid emulsion system indicated a higher antioxidant activity than the standard BHT.

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In stitu te o f P harm aceutical C hem istry, U niversity o f V ienna H erm ann Dietrich, Christine Plank C en tral L a b o ra to ry A nim al Facilities, U niversity o f In n sb ru ck , M edical S chool, In n sb ru ck and Elisabeth K aram at C linic o f N eurology, D ep artm en t o f P sychodiagnosis, U niversity o f In n sb ru ck , A u stria Z. N atu rfo rsch . 46c, 1 067-1072 (1991); received M arch 2 7/A ugust 8, 1991 D ecrease o f C affeine, H yperactivity, Lavender Oil, L inalool, Linalyl A cetate, Sedative Effects T he sedative properties o f the essential oil o f L avender (Lavandula angustifolia M iller) an d o f its m ain con stitu en ts -linalool and linalyl acetate -were investigated in mice follow ed up in a series o f experim ental procedures. The significant decrease in the m otility o f fem ale an d m ale la b o ra to ry anim als under stan d ard iz ed experim ental co n d itio n s is fo u n d to be closely d e p en d en t on the exposure time to the drugs. N evertheless after an injection o f caffeine in to mice a hyperactivity w as observed w hich was reduced to nearly a n o rm al m otility only by in h alatio n o f these fragrance drugs. In p artic u la r the co rrelatio n o f the m otility o f the anim als to linalool in serum is experim entally p roven, thus furnishing evidence o f the aro m a th e ra p eu tic al use o f herbal pillow s em ployed in folk medicine since ancient tim es in o rd e r to facilitate falling asleep o r to m inim ize stressful situ atio n s o f m an.

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The essential oil of juniper berries (Juniperus communis L., Cupressaceae) is traditionally used for medicinal and flavoring purposes. As elucidated by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS methods), the juniper berry oil from Bulgaria is largely comprised of monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene (51.4%), myrcene (8.3%), sabinene (5.8%), limonene (5.1%) and β-pinene (5.0%). The antioxidant capacity of the essential oil was evaluated in vitro by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation scavenging, hydroxyl radical (ОН•) scavenging and chelating capacity, superoxide radical (•O2−) scavenging and xanthine oxidase inhibitory effects, hydrogen peroxide scavenging. The antioxidant activity of the oil attributable to electron transfer made juniper berry essential oil a strong antioxidant, whereas the antioxidant activity attributable to hydrogen atom transfer was lower. Lipid peroxidation inhibition by the essential oil in both stages, i.e., hydroperoxide formation and malondialdehyde formation, was less efficient than the inhibition by butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In vivo studies confirmed these effects of the oil which created the possibility of blocking the oxidation processes in yeast cells by increasing activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).

The aroma compounds of rocket salad (Eruca sativa) SPME headspace samples of fresh leaves were analyzed using GC, GC-MS, and olfactometry. More than 50 constituents of the Eruca headspace could be identified to be essential volatiles, responsible for the characteristic intense green; herbal; nutty and almond-like; Brassicaceae-like (direction of cabbage, broccoli, and mustard); and horseradish-like aroma of these salad leaves. As aroma impact compounds, especially isothiocyanates, and derivatives of butane, hexane, octane, and nonane were identified. 4-Methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate (14.2%), cis-3-hexen-1-ol (11.0%), cis-3-hexenyl butanoate (10.8%), 5-methylthiopentyl isothiocyanate (9.3%), cis-3-hexenyl 2-methylbutanoate (5.4%), and 5-methylthiopentanenitrile (5.0%) were found in concentrations higher than 5.0% (calculated as % peak area of GC analysis using a nonpolar column).

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The chemical composition of the essential oil from peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) was analyzed by GC/FID and GC-MS. The main constituents were menthol (40.7%) and menthone (23.4%). Further components were (+/-)-menthyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, limonene, β-pinene and β-caryophyllene. Peppermint oil possessed antiradical activity with respect to DPPH (diphenyl picryl hydrazyl) and hydroxyl (OH•) radicals, exercising stronger antioxidant impact on the OH• radical. The concentrations required for 50% inhibition of the respective radical (IC 50 ) were 860 µg/mL for DPPH and 0.26 µg/mL for OH•. Peppermint essential oil demonstrated antioxidant activity in a model linoleic acid emulsion system in terms of inhibiting conjugated dienes formation by 52.4% and linoleic acid secondary oxidized products generation by 76.9% (at 0.1% concentration).