Planta Med 2009; 75 - PD55
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1234534

Investigation of Valeriana officinalis L. from Iran

F Nazari 1, S Shaabani 2, S Nejad Ebrahimi 3
  • 1Department of Phytochemistry, Academic Centre for Education Culture & Research, Shahid Beheshti Branch, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, P.O. Box 19615–1171, Iran
  • 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, P.O. Box 19839–63113, Iran
  • 3Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants & Drug Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, P.O. Box 19839–63113, Iran

Valeriana officinalis L. is a member of the Valerianaceae family. It is a perennial plant native to Europe, North and South America as well as parts of Northern Asia. Valerian bushes reach from 1 to 1.5m height, growing in humid woods and coasts of streams and rivers. The root and rhizome of the valerian plant is used medicinally for its sedative properties with indications including nervous tension, insomnia, anxiety and stress. Nowadays, valerian ranks at the 12th place among the top-selling herbal dietary supplements. It is cultivated in different regions of the world [1,2].

The aerial parts of Valeriana officinalis grown at Karaj in the north-west part of Iran were hydrodistilled for 3 hours, using a Clevenger-type apparatus to yield 0.7% (w/w) of green yellow oil. The essential oil was dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate and stored in a sealed vial at +4°C until analysis. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The constituents of the essential oil were identified by comparison of their mass spectra and retention indices (RI) with those given in the literature and authentic samples [3].

Twenty six compounds were characterized in the essential oil of Valeriana officinalis, representing 97.11% of the oil, of which borneol acetate (18.47), valerenal (15.77%), logifolene aldehyde (13.04), β- gurjunene (9.99) and 8S,14-cedran-diol were found to be the major components.

Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the financial contribution from the Research and Technology Deputy of ACECR (Academic Centre for Education Culture & Research) for supporting this research.

References: [1] Houghton, P.J. (1998)J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 51:505–512.

[2] Blumenthal, M. (2005) HerbalGram 66:63.

[3] Adams, R.P. (2001) Identification of Essential oil Components by Gas Chromatography/Quadrupole Mass spectroscopy. Allured Publishing Crop. Carol stream, IL.