Essential oils drugs containing

Roots of Echinacea purpurea contain up to 0.2% essential oil [4, 14,15, 21, 67, 69, 74]. According to Becker [75] and Martin [76] it is composed of 2.1% caryophyl-lene, 0.6% humulene and 1.3% caryophyllene epoxide. Heinzer et al. [14] have analyzed the essential oil by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and found compounds of the type dodeca-2,4- dien-l-yl-isovalerate, as well as palmitic and linolenic acid, vanillin, p-hydroxycinnamic acid methyl ester and germacrene D, which had already been reported by Bohlmann and Hoffmann [27] for the aerial parts of the plant. Nevertheless, . purpurea roots are not a typical essential oil drug, and therefore analysis of the essential oil has not been used often for standardization purposes of phytopreparations. However, gas chromatography of the essential oil can be used for the discrimination of the species (see Fig. 1) [14]. 

This needs to be taken into aceount particularly with drugs containing essential oils, tannins, and bitter substanees [I, 2]. Herbal drugs with these active constituents should not be. stocked in the powdered state. 

Terpenes are polymers of the 5-carbon compound isoprene (Figure 1.12) and, as such, generally display properties similar to those of hydrocarbons. Terpenoids are substituted terpenes (i.e. contain additional chemical groups, such as an alcohol, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, etc.). Only a few such substances could be regarded as true drugs. Terpenes, such as limonene, menthol and camphor, form components of various essential oils with pseudo-pharmaceutical uses. A number of these molecules, however, exhibit anti-tumour activity, of which taxol is by far the most important. 

Essential oils are also influenced by legislation that regulates specific products that may contain these oils, e,g,. the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the European Community Cosmetic Directive. Essential oils would not be anticipated to be of environmental concern, considering that they originate from botanical sources, Thus, natural processes exist to degrade essential oils and recycle their components effectively in the environment,... 

The BP lays down standards for drugs dispensed through a British pharmacy. These standards cover a number of essential oils that appear in the BP, e.g. clove, eucalyptus, peppermint, citronella. However, these are not always appropriate for aromatherapy use because specifications are too broadly based and do not reflect materials currently available and used. For example, the BP states that eucalyptus oil is required to have a 1,8-cineole content of 70%, whereas most natural eucalyptus oils contain less than this. To comply with the BP would encourage a redistillation to rectify the oil, which is entirely contrary to the ethos of aromatherapy. 

The FID has an extremely wide field of application and is used in the analysis of hydrocarbons, solvents, essential oils, flavors, drugs, and their metabolites — in fact, any mixture of volatile substances that contain carbon. 

The quality of caraway fruits used in pharmaceutical and food industry is given one of the main criteria - the essential oil content and D-carvone content, respectively. The amount of caraway processed in the pharmaceutical industry reaches 10 - 15 % of total caraway production (Sedlakova et al., 2001). The minimal limit of the essential oil (30 ml.kg"1 of dried drug) and D-carvone content in the essential oils required by the Czech Pharmacopoeia is 50 % (2006). Also, according to European Pharmacopoeia (6th Ed) caraway fruits contain not less than 30 ml.kg 1 of essential oil in dried drug. The specification in the application for designation of origin (PDO) for Czech caraway requires also minimum of 50 % of D-carvone. The steam distillation at Clavenger apparatus and GC methods are required for the assessment by the several standards. Table 6 describes the essential oil content of Czech caraway varieties. 

In the evaluation of the spasmolytic efficacy of preparations containing the essential oils with carminative action one has to distinguish between a mixture of essential oils and alcoholic total extracts of the drugs. 

CARAWAY, Carvi fructus and aetheroleum Caraway is the schizocarp of Carum carvi L., family Apiaceae, growing in Asia and Europe, now also grown in the USA and Canada. The drug contains 3-6% essential oil containing 50-80% (+) carvone and limonene. It has spasmolytic, antibacterial and carminative effects. 

ANISE, Anisi fructus-inA aetheroleum Amsc is the schizocarp of Pimpinella anisum L., family Apiaceae, with its origin in Egypt and Greece and cultivated in Europe and South America. The drug contains 2% essential oil with the main ingredient anethole (80-90%). The oil is also used as an expectorant (section R05C). 

C.F.Schmidt, family Asteraceae, It is harvested mainly in Kazakshtan where santonin is extracted in a factory in Chimkent. The drug contains an essential oil with 1, 8-Cin-eole (approx. 80%) but the active anthelmintic substance is L-a-santonin. 

Drugs Containing Essential Oils (Aetherolea), Balsams and Oleo-Gum-Resins... 

Drugs Containing Essential Oils (Aelherolea), Balsams ami Oleo-Gum-Resins 159... 

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