Seasonal variation in essential oil content and composition of Thyme, Thymus serpyllum l. Cultivated in Uttarakhand hills

摘要

Thymus serpyllum L. grown in Kumaon region of Western Himalaya was investigated for essential oil content and composition in different seasons. The oils of fresh samples were obtained by hydrodistillation. The yield of essential oil (% v/w) during different seasons varied from 0.07 to 0.28% with the highest in summer season, at vegetative stage. The oils were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Major components of all the samples were thymol (19.4-60.1%), γ?-terpinene (0.3-13.8%) and p-cymene (3.5-10.4%). The results clearly indicated that season has significant effect on quality and quantity of thyme oil.