Chemical composition of the essential oils of cymbopogon citratus (dc.) stapf cultivated in north of brazil

The essential oils obtained from blades, sheaths and rhizomes of Cymbopogon citratus were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The essential oils from aerial parts (blades and sheaths) from three other specimens also were studied. Neral and geranial were major in blades (30.1 % and 39.9 %, respectively), and sheats (27.8 % and 50.0 %, respectively). Rhizome oils showed a different chemical profile and was characterized by a high amount of selina-6-en-4-ol (27.8 %), followed by α-cadinol (8.2 %), neointermediol (7.2 %) and eudesma-7(11)-en-4-ol (5.3 %). © 2009 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC