Seasonal Variation of Essential Oil Yield and Composition of Dalmatian Sage, Salvia officinalis

Abstract

The leaves of Salvia officinalis L. were collected during the months of June to December 1981, from the same locality. The yield and composition of essential oil have been determined in seven samples with special reference to the content of thujone, 1,8-cineole, and camphor. It was found that the yield and composition of the oil changed from month to month. The maximum of essential oil in the leaves appeared during July. In order to obtain an essential oil with a maximum percentage of thujone, the harvest of sage leaves is recommended during October.Salvia officinalis L. is a widespread plant in Yugoslavia and is one of the most significant plants of the coastal flora. It grows spontaneously on the sunny hillsides of the Dalmatian islands and adjacent coast zones (800-5000 m broad) of the Adriatic Sea (1). It is very abundant in the northern part of the Adriatic coast, where it sometimes covers a few square miles and is the only plant growing on the poor, rocky soil (Karst region).Climatic and soil conditions, as well as methods and date of harvesting, influence the quality and purity of plant material collected for the market. Vernazza (2-4) has investigated the quality and quantity of sage leaves, as well as essential oil from different regions over a long period of time. Guenther (5) noted that the best type of aromatic sage plant is produced in the district of Dubrovnik, where harvesting starts early in June and continues to the beginning of September. Devetak (1) also reported on the quality and purity of plant material grown in the Doli-Ston district of Dubrovnik.In order to find the best time of the year to collect sage leaves, we investigated the qualitative and quantitative changes in the essential oil composition, at different vegetation periods of plant growth. Generally, the harvest of sage leaves in Dalmatia starts on July 15th and lasts until December, weather conditions permitting. Our samples were collected in approximately the middle of the month from June to December, 1981, in the Doli-Ston district of Dubrovnik.

Seasonal Variation of Essential Oil Yield and Composition of Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) Grown in Castilla - La Mancha (Central Spain)

“…It is composed mainly of monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and their oxygen derivates. Seasonal variation of oil of S. officinalis has also been reported (Asllani, 2000;Mirjalili et al, 2006;Perry et al, 1999;Pitarevic et al, 1984;Santos-Gomez and Fernandez-Ferreira, 2001). …”

Plantas medicinais: fatores de influência no conteúdo de metabólitos secundários

“…São relatadas, por ex., variações sazonais no conteúdo de praticamente todas as classes de metabólitos secundários, como óleos essenciais [11][12][13][14][15] , lactonas sesquiterpênicas 16,17 , ácidos fenólicos 16,18 , flavonóides [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] , cumarinas 21 , saponinas [26][27] , alcalóides 1,[28][29][30][31] , taninos [32][33][34][35][36] , graxas epicuticulares 37 , iridóides 22,38,39 , glucosinolatos 40,41 e glicosídeos cianogênicos 42,43 .…”

A Variety of Volatile Compounds as Markers in Unifloral Honey from Dalmatian Sage (Salvia officinalis L.)

“…-In Dalmatian region of Croatia, the famous unifloral honey is made from Salvia officinalis L., and it is used in traditional medicine for treatment of respiratory problems, as an antiseptic, and others. Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.) grows spontaneously on the sunny hillsides of the Dalmatian islands and adjacent coast zones (800 -5000-m broad) of the Adriatic Sea [1]. It was previously considered mainly for its essential oil content [2] [3], and Guenther [4] noted that the best type of aromatic sage plant is produced in the district of Dubrovnik, South Croatia.…”