CONTENT OF THE ESSENTIAL OILS IN THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS OF A CHENOPODIUM AMBROSIOIDES LEAF GROWN IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes make up the majority of the volatile chemicals found in complex combinations called essential oils. However, oxygenated derivatives such aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenols, acids, ethers, and esters are also present in essential oils, which can be extracted from any portion of a plant. A common and well-known aromatic plant species, Chenopodium ambrosioides L. is locally known as "Arunpale" among Yoruba speaking people in South-Western Nigeria and is prized for its medicinal characteristics (anthelmintic, emollient, anti-rheumatism, and anti-tumor). The plant species is endemic to many parts of the world and is used as a medicine for a variety of ailments, including ascaridiasis. Investigating the levels of composition of Chenopodium ambriosiode leaf essential oil is the goal of this study. The plant sample was collected from the Ayekale area of Saki, Oyo state, and identified by a botanist from the Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, department of environmental biology. The leaves underwent a two-week air drying period and were pulverized using a Clevenger set-up device before to hydrodistillation. Gas chromatography in conjunction with a mass spectrometer was used to examine the essential oil's composition and amount. The essential oil of C. ambrosioides was found to contain thirty-nine (39) constituents, of which the majority were Eucalyptol (28.8%), Fenchol (16.8%), Terpinen-4-ol (14.5%), Benzene-1-methyl-4-cl-methyylethenyl (11.8%), Bicyclo(2-2)heptan-one4,7,7,trimethyl (11.4%), Enddo-bomeol (2.56%), Benzene,2-ethyl-1-methyl (2.2%), O-cymene (1.6%), Neopentylethylhetone (1.4%), and 2-Bomanone (1.09%). The remaining constituents are less than 1%. As a result, it can be inferred that the most abundant chemical constituents in the essential oil of C. ambrosioides are these five compounds, and as such, they are responsible for the plant's suppressant and aromatic qualities. It is recommended that industries shed more light on this subject.