Oğulotu (Melissa officinalis L.)’ndaYaprak, Herba ve Çiçekte Uçucu Yağ Bileşenlerindeki Kimyasal Değişim

This research was conducted to determine chemical variability in terms of essential oil compositions in leaves, herb and flowers of lemon balm. In experiment, Melissa officinalis ssp. officinalis was used as the material. Leaf and herb samples were taken before flowering stage while flower samples were taken at full flowering stage. The essential oils were isolated by hydro-distillation and analyzed by GC/MS. According to results, significant variations were observed in leaves, herb and flowers as concerns essential oil components. Thirteen, fifteen and fourteen components were identified in leaves, herb and flowers, respectively. In leaves and flower, main component was citral (25.22% and 21.20%), followed by caryophyllene oxide (21.95% and 18.44%) and z-citral (19.08% and 16.03%). Compared to leaf and flower, herb showed differences in terms of major components. While, caryophyllene oxide (29.25%) was the main component, citral (15.20%) and β-caryophyllene (12.14%) were the second and third components in herb, respectively.