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Analysis of the essential
oil from the dried leaves of Euphorbia hirta
Linn
(Euphorbiaceae), a potential medication for asthma
Modupe Ogunlesi1*,
Wesley Okiei1,
Edith Ofor1
and A. Elizabeth Osibote2
1Chemistry
Department, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
2Chemistry Department, State University of New York,
Binghamton, U.S.A.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
mayogunlesi@yahoo.com.
Tel: +2348033353238.
Accepted
23 October, 2009 |
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Essential oil was obtained from the dried leaves of
Euphorbia hirta, commonly called asthma plant. Analysis
of the oil was carried out on a combined gas
chromatograph-mass spectrometer fitted with an HP-5 MS (5%
phenylmethyl siloxane) column at a temperature programme of
120°C (5 min) increased at 5°C/min to 320°C and held for 5
min. The major components identified include
3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol,
6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone, hexadecanal, phytol and
n-hexadecanoic acid adding up to 61.01%. Minor constituents
include 2-butoxyethanol, tetradecane, phthalic acid, butyl
tetradecyl ester, oleic acid, 13-heptadecyn-1-ol,
2-methyl-1-hexadecanol and 1,2-benzene dicarboxylic acid
diisooctylester. The possible roles of the components in the
treatment of asthma and other diseases are discussed. The
oil may function as a repellent against Anopheles
species and thus useful for malaria control.
Key
words:
Euphorbia hirta, asthma, arthritis, essential oil,
medicinal properties, insect repellent, GC-MS. |
