Chemical composition of essential oil of Thymus vulgaris collected from Saudi Arabian market

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
• Main Authors: Abdulrahman Khazim Al-Asmari, Md Tanwir Athar, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Faraidy, Mohammed Salim Almuhaiza
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017
• Subjects: Essential oil; GC–MS; Saudi Arabian herbs; Thymus vulgaris; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apjtb.2016.11.023; https://doaj.org/article/c57e859b462a4c0ab761beb73a9be608

Objective: To focus on the analysis of chemical constituents of the Thymus vulgaris L. (locally known as “Zaitra” or “Za'atar”; Family: Lamiaceae) which is available in the market of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The Zaitra oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mass spectra were compared with the standard spectra available in National Institute Standard and Technique library. Results: The results indicated that the Thymus oil is composed of many chemical compounds including α pinene, thymol and caryophyllene which are biologically active and also used in various diseases. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the Thymus vulgaris due to presence of many bioactive compounds can be used as a new potential source of medicine for the treatment of various types of illness.