Constituents of essential oil from the leaf of Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. ex DC. (Amaranthaceae) from Nigeria

This study was designed to determine the chemical constituents of essential oil from the leaves of Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. Ex DC. (Amaranthaceae) grown in Nigeria. The essential oil was isolated using hydrodistillation method. The constituents of A. sessilis oil were characterized using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The yield of the essential oil was 0.21% (v/w), calculated on a dry weight basis. A total of seventeen compounds accounting for 95.6% of the oil content were identified. The oil was devoid of any of the monoterpene compounds. The main constituents of the oil were hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (35.6%), β-caryophyllene (16.1%) and n-heptadecane (10.7%). Terpenoid compounds were being reported for the first time in A. sessilis.