Essential oil composition variability in sage (Salvia officinalis L.)

The aerial parts of Salvia officinalis were collected in eight gardens in Eastern Lithuania. Essential oils were prepared by the hydrodistillation of air-dried plants and analyzed by GC and GC/MS methods. The dominant constituents were manool (14.4-20.9%, four oils), 1,8-cineole (12.4-17.6%, two samples) and cis-thujone (12.6%, two oils). The second major compound was viridiflorol (11.2-16.5%, four samples), manool (10.3-11.5%, two oils), cis-thujone (11.5%, one oil) and beta-caryophyllene (9.0%, one oil). The third position in the sage essential oils was taken by alpha-humulene (7.3-11.2%, three samples), viridiflorol (10.5%, two oils) and by cis-thujone (9.6%), camphor (9.9%) and manool (8.9%) in other three oils. The S. officinalis essential oil richest in manool (20.9%) was found in Lithuania. The amounts of individual constituents in the oils varied from 2 to 25 times, while the quantities of oxygenated terpenes were close. The sage essential oils included larger quantities of the oxygenated terpenes (52.1-65.4%) than terpene hydrocarbons (18.7-34.1%). The seventy nine identified compounds comprised 89.5-99.3% of the oils.