Essential oil chemical composition of Lamium flexuosum Ten.: a wild accession from Sicily (Italy)

Abstract

Lamium flexuosum Ten. is a perennial species, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, that primarily thrives in temperate biomes. Its natural distribution includes Italy, Spain, France, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In this study, the chemical profile of the essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of the Sicilian accession of this plant, which had never been previously analysed, was assessed using GC-MS. The essential oil (Lf) was found to be rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (65.3%) with β-caryophyllene (21.9%), β-copaene (16.9%) and α-humulene (8.0%) as the predominant compounds. A comparison with other previously studied essential oils of the Lamium genus is discussed. Additionally, a review of the traditional medicine of Lamium species has been conducted.