Comparative study on the essential oils of Artemisia judaica and A. herba-alba from Saudi Arabia

[Display omitted] The volatile chemical constituents derived from two Asteraceae species (Artemisia judaica and A. herba-alba) were analyzed and compared for the first time using gas chromatography techniques (GC–MS, GC–FID, Co-GC, LRI determination, database and literature searches) on two different stationary phase columns (polar and nonpolar). This analysis led to the identification of a total of 110 and 81 components from whole plant (stems, leaves and flowers) oils of A. judaica and A. herba-alba respectively. The major classes of compounds in both plants included oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and hydrocarbons. The prominent components in the oil of A. judaica were β-eudesmol, hexadecanoic acid, spathulenol, eudesma-4 (15),7-dien-1-β-ol, carvacrol and thymol which account for 67.3% of the total essential oils composition (96.7%). While the main oil constituents from A. herba-alba were piperitone, (E)-ethylcinnamate, (Z)-ethylcinnamate, thymol, isophrone which account for 78.0% of the total oil composition (99.6%). Comparison showed similar composition in thymol and spathulenol while in others major constituents, have opposite values. To the best of our knowledge, both plant species (A. judaica and A. herba-alba) from Saudi Arabia were considered for the first time in this study. In addition, the oils of these plants were screened for their bio-activities and were found to possess significant anti-microbial activities.