Essential oil composition of Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) from Southern Iran

Background & Aim: Essential oil of pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) has many applications in food, perfume and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this study was to determine the content and chemical constituents of pennyroyal essential oil growing wild in Southern Iran. Experimental: The aerial parts of the plant were collected around Hajiabad, Hormozgan province in 2013. The essential oil of dried aerial parts was extracted by hydro-distillation and analyzed using GC-MS. Results: The oil yield of pennyroyal aerial parts was 0.6% (v/w). In total, 55 compounds were identified in the essential oil that oxygenated monoterpenes were dominant. The major oil constituents were pulegone (46.18%), piperitenone (19.56%), 1,8-cineole (4.55 %), and piperitenone oxide (4.23%). Recommended applications/industries: Mentha pulegium is a good raw source of pulegone that has been widely used in food and drug industries.