Essential oil composition of three Zanthoxylum species

Essential oils hydrodistilled from the leaves and stems of the Zanthoxylum leprieurii, Z. macrophylla and Z. rubescens were analyzed using Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). Fifteen to twenty-eight compounds were identified representing 99.9-78.7% of the oil compositions. The chemical profile of the leaf and stem oils of Z. rubescens were dominated by sesquiterpenoid compounds (E)-nerolidol (44.4-70.2%, respectively) and β-caryophyllene (22.1%). Monoterpenoid was the major class of compounds found in the leaf oil of Z. macrophylla with linalool accounting for 80.5% of the oil composition, while linalool (28.9%), (E)-nerolidol (12.4%), β-bisabolene (10.4%) and caryophyllene oxide (7.6%) were the major compounds identified in the stem oil. Zanthoxylum leprieurii leaf oil had limonene (94.9%) as the main constituent The stem oil of Z. leprieurii was dominated by sesquiterpenoids with (E)-neroidol (23.0%), humuenol (17.5%) and elemol (5.7%) as major constituents.