Qualitative evaluation of composition of the volatile fraction in commercial samples of Cistus incanus L.

Abstract

The present research is focused on identification of volatile components of different commercial products containing raw herbs of Cistus incanus L. The dried herbal material was hydrodistilled, and the obtained essential oils were analyzed by means of gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. Alternatively, the headspace analysis of the volatile sample components was also performed. It was found out that the investigated samples of the C. incanus L. species show a wide variation in terms of quality and quantity of the respective essential oils, which might result in their variable biological activity also. In conclusion, a postulate for standardization of chemical composition of the raw plant material used in therapeutic preparations is formulated.