Variation in the Composition of the Essential Oil of Commercial Salvia officinalis L. Leaves Samples from Different Countries

Abstract

Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) leaves and its essential oil is used for mouth and throat disorders, skin disorders, minor wounds, and gastrointestinal disorders, and is widely used worldwide. The research aimed to conduct a comparative study of the composition of S. officinalis essential oils from commercial samples, and their main chemotypes. The volatile constituents from S. officinalis leaves were investigated using gas chromatography (GC). The commercial samples of sage leaves were obtained from retail pharmacies in nine mainly European countries. The yield of essential oil in S. officinalis commercial leaves was between 10.0 and 24.8 mL/kg. The principal components (>5%) among the main identified 25 compounds were 1,8-cineole (8.3%–45.3%), α-thujone (3.0%–34.0%), сamphor (11.3%–29.3%), β-thujone (1.5%–12.9%), viridiflorol (1.1%–10.4%), camphene (2.6%–7.1%), and α-pinene (1.3%–5.8%). In seven (Estonia, England, France, Hungary, Belgium, Ukraine, Georgia) samples α-thujone dominated. Four samples (Estonia, Georgia, England, Hungary) belong to the most common chemotype α-thujone > camphor > 1,8-cineole. Eight chemotypes of S. officinalis essential oils have been found. Toxic thujones are widespread compounds among them.