The Essential Oil Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Achillea spp. Growing in the Southwest of Iran

The composition of essential oil isolated from Achillea eriophora, Achillea millefolium, Achillea biebersteinii and Achillea tenuifolia growing wild in the south west of Iran, was analyzed. A. eriophora, A. millefolium and A. tenuifolia essential oils were characterized by sabinene, 1, 8-cineole, terpinene-4-ol, ά –bisabolol, p-Cymene, β-pinene and α-pinene. The A. biebersteinii essential oil was characterized by sabinene, borneol, camphor, piperitone and α-pinene. Antioxidant activity was analyzed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging and Fe 3+ reducing power methods. Results indicated essential oil obtained from A. eriophora, A. millefolium, A. tenuifolia and A. biebersteinii exhibited a dose-dependent increase with a radical scavenging effect of 85.0%, 82.0% , 82.0% and 64.0% at 350 μg/ml, which are close to the 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl inhibition of the positive control Butylated Hydroxytoluene (88.0%) at the same concentration. It was shown that the A. biebersteinii essential oil exhibited the weakest antioxidant effect than Butylated Hydroxytoluene or other Achillea spp. essential oils. In this study chamazulene, ά-bisabolol and ά –bisabolol oxide percentage were higher in A. eriophora, A. millefolium and A. tenuifolia essential oil compared to A. biebersteinii essential oil and these compounds improved antioxidant capacity of Achillea spp.