Antioxidant Activity and Essential Oil Evaluation of Satureja hortensis L. (Lamiaceae) from Iran.

Satureja hortensis L. (Lamiaceae) is one of the most important of twelve species of Iranian Satureja species cultivated in several areas of the country. As a medicinal plant, S. hortensis has been traditionally used as a stimulant, carminative and aphrodisiac. This study reports the essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil extract of aerial parts of Satureja hortensis L. GC-MS analysis identified twenty compounds representing 97.03% of the oil. The main components comprising 70.72% of the oil were γ-terpinene (31.47%), borneol (5.73%), carvacrol (26.78%) and eugenol (6.78%). The samples were screened for their antioxidant activities using 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay methods. γ-Terpinene (11.21± 0.41 µg/ml) and eugenol (11.97± 0.07 µg/ml) showed appreciable antioxidant activity in DPPH test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]