Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H. Rob.: the essential oil chemical composition of the accession growing wild in Oman

Abstract

The genus Cyanthillium Blume is a small genus in the tribe Vernonieae within the family Asteraceae. It has a complex nomenclatural history as it has been considered as a synonym Vernonia Schreb. Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H. Rob., native to Tropical and Subtropical Old World to Pacific, is a plant largely utilised in the popular medicine of many countries. This is the first report regarding the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) from aerial parts of this plant, collected in Oman. This EO (Cc) was characterised by large amounts of esters (46.00%) and acids (21.88%), being methyl linolenate (27.99%), and linolenic acid (19.97%) the main constituents of the two chemical classes, respectively. A comparison with previously published results regarding EOs of the Cyanthillium genus was discussed. Furthermore, a review of the use of Cyanthillium species in the popular medicine has been carried out.