Essential oil of Cordia millenii from Nigeria

Cordia millenii Bak. (Boraginaceae) is used in the south-western Nigeria to cure ache and pain disorders. Essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation of air dried leaves of C. millenii in a Clevenger-type apparatus. The yield of the essential oil was 0.026% (v/w), calculated on dry weight basis. The chemical constituents of the oil were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) on HP-5 column. The major constituents of the essential oil were limonene (19.9%), diallyl disulfide (18.4%), β-caryophyllene (16.6%), linalool (13.4%) and nonanal (10.6%). The anti-nociceptive property of the essential oil was statistically non-significant (p>0.05) when compared to the control for most concentrations except at 120th mins (p<0.05) for 200 mg p.o. The 200-mg p.o. dose only displayed anti-inflammatory activity at the 1st h (p<0.01) with others non-significant (p>0.05). This is the first report of the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils of C. millenii.