CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ESSENTIAL OIL OF JUNIPERUS PHOENICEA L. LEAVES AND BERRIES GROWING WILD IN CALABRIA

Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper. In Italy the genus of Juniperus are widespread in a spontaneous state mainly in the coastal areas of Southern Italy and islands and its distribution is conditioned primarily by rainfall and humidity (1). In Calabria (Italy) the most widespread species are J. communis L., J oxycedrus L., J. phoenicea L. and J. sabina L.. J. phoenicea L., a shrub or a small tree native to the northern lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea from Portugal to Israel, is largely used both as medicinal plant in traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, diabetes, against bronco-pulmonary disease and as food flavouring and seasoning. In Calabria region (Italy) has been reported a relict population of Juniperus phoenicea L. (2) and its essential oils, extracted from leaves and ripe berries, have been studied in this work. The dried plant samples from leaves and ripe berries collected in from 2005 to 2008 were hydrodistilled using a Clevenger-type apparatus for 3 hours according to the Italian Official Pharmacopeia. Samples oils were dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate and stored at low temperature before analysis. The composition of essential oils was investigated by GC/MS. A total of 61 compounds were identificated. The berries essential oils were mainly composed of monoterpene hydrocarbons (about 89%), with α-pinene as major constituent; p-cymene, mircene and limonene were the second most important constituents. Different results were obtained by other authors in their studies of J. Phoenicea oils from plant growing in North Africa and Mediterranean Europe where although it is predominant -pinene, β-phellandrene and α-Terpinyl acetate were the other most important constituents (3). The Juniperus phoenicea L. oils grown in Calabria showed a higher level of sesquiterpens (17% in leaves oils - 7% in the ripe berries oils), mainly cariofillene and germacrene D.