Comparative Analysis of the Essential Oils of Two Mexican Oreganos

Mexican oreganos, two of the most famous herbal condiments in Mexico, have always been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of stomach aches, inflammation, dermal infectious diseases and diabetes. Mexican oreganos are derived from the plants Lippia graveolens H.B.K (Verbenaceae) and Poliomintha longiflora Gray (Lamiaceae). In the present study, a GC/MS method was developed for the comparative analysis of the main constituents of the two medicinal plants. About 35 and 29 compounds, respectively, were identified by comparison with literature data, standard compounds, and by calculating their relative retention index (RI) according to the Kovacs methodology. The results demonstrated that the common constituents in the two herbs were p-cymene, thymol, carvacrol and caryophyllene oxide. Acknowledgements: This research was funded by a Grant of DGAPA-UNAM (IN218110).