The essential oil composition of the leaves, stem, flowers and roots of Ligusticopsis wallichiana (DC.) Pimenov & Kljuykov were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS methods. Forty-five constituents, forming 93.2%–97.8% of the oil compositions, were dominated by acetylenic (31.5%–92.8%) compounds and sesquiterpenoids (0.3%–44.4%). The leaf essential oil was mainly composed 3,5-nonadiyne (35.8%), β-selinene (20.9%), α-funebrene (10.1%) and ( Z)-falcarinol (6.1%). The stem oil was dominated by acetylenic compounds (73.8%) represented by 3,5-nonadiyne (67.8%) and ( Z)-falcarinol (5.7%). On the contrary, the major components of the flower essential oil were sesquiterpenoids (37.5%), such as germacrene D (16.6%), α-funebrene (7.4%), and acetylenic compounds (31.5%), such as ( Z)-falcarinol (21.0%) and 3,5-nonadiyne (10.0%). Monoterpenoids constituted 23.9% of the flower oil with limonene (19.9%) as the single major constituent. The essential oil of the roots was dominated by 3,5-nonadiyne (90.5%). The results showed considerable qualitative and quantitative variations in the essential oil compositions of the different plant parts of L. wallichiana. ( Z)-Falcarinol (1.9%–21.0%) and α-funebrene (0.1%–10.1%) were reported for the first time from the essential oils of L. wallichiana.
Variation in the Volatile Constituents of Different Plant Parts of Ligusticopsis wallichiana from Western Himalaya, India
