Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils of Four Asarum Species Growing in Vietnam

The essential oils (EOs) of the aerial parts of four species ( , , and were isolated by steam distillation and analyzed by the GC/MS method. The EO contains 33 constituents with the main component being elemicine (77.20%). The EO was contains 49 constituents with the main components being determined as 9- -( )-caryophyllene (18.43%), eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (13.41%), -caryophyllene (8.05%) and phytol (7.23%). The EO contains 26 constituents with the main components being safrole (64.74%) and sesquicineole (15.34%). The EO of contains 41 constituents with the main components being 9- -(E)-caryophyllene (15.76%), eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (14.21%), -caryophyllene (9.52%) and -bicyclogermacrene (7.50%). For antimicrobial activity, the EO exhibited the highest inhibition activity against and the EO against (MIC values of 100 μg/mL). For antioxidant activity, the EO showed the highest potential with an SC (%) value of 63.34 ± 1.0%, corresponding to an SC value of 28.57 µg/mL. For anti-inflammatory activity, the EO exhibited the highest potential with an IC value of 21.68 µg/mL, corresponding to an inhibition rate of NO production of 69.58 ± 1.3% and the percentage of cell life was 81.85 ± 0.9%.