Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils ofAgathosma betulina, A. crenulataand anA. betulinaxcrenulataHybrid (Buchu)

A broad review of commercially important southern African medicinal plants

“…The essential oil is a valuable flavour product (similar to cassis) and is probably responsible for the antispasmodic, antiseptic and diuretic activities (Wichtl and Bisset, 2000;Lis-Balchin et al, 2001). Isomenthone and diosphenol are the major volatile compounds (Kaiser et al, 1975;Posthumus et al, 1996).…”

“…The essential oil components are well known (e.g. Kaiser et al, 1975;Posthumus et al, 1996) but the chemotaxonomic study of Collins et al (1996) was the first to provide details of a chemical distinction between Agathosma betulina and the closely related Agathosma crenulata (L.) Pillans (oval leaf buchu), as well as their putative hybrids. Agathosma crenulata is less desirable because of potentially harmful levels of pulegone, which occur as the main compound in Agathosma crenulata oil (more than 30%) but less than 5% in Agathosma betulina oil.…”

Commercially Important Medicinal Plants of South Africa: A Review

“…e composition of buchu has been well studied, and numerous compounds have been identi�ed. e compounds identi�ed in A. betulina mostly focused on the volatile fractions of the plant and included limonene, menthone, diosphenol, l-pulegone [17] with isomenthone, and diosphenol as the major volatile compounds [18,19] responsible for the distinctive �avour but probably also for antispasmodic, antiseptic, and diuretic activities [12][13][14]20]. e commercially important sulphurcontaining compounds are a characteristic of A. betulina (cis and trans-8-mercapto-p-methan-3-one), and although these occur in small amounts, they are responsible for the characteristic organoleptic properties of the oil [21].…”

Monoterpene biosynthesis inAgathosma crenulata (Buchu)

“…The third compound could not be isolated from trans-isopulegone and for that reason cis-isopulegone was identified by mass spectrum and occurrence in buchu. 3,14 Isopulegone enantiomers could be separated using enantio-MDGC-MS systems 1 and 2. In Figure 1 a main column chromatogram (system 1) of isopulegone standard mixture and SPME extract of A. crenulata is shown.…”

“…1,2 The two buchu species differ in their essential oil composition: A. betulina is characterized by a high content of (iso)menthone (31%), ( )-diosphenol (41%) and the cis-and trans-3-oxo-p-menthane-8-thiol (3%); A. crenulata oil contains a high content of pulegone (54%) and higher quantities of trans-3-oxo-p-menthane-8-thiol. 3 The stereochemistry of limonene, (iso)menthone, pulegone, 3-oxo-p-menthane-8-thiol(acetate) in A. betulina…”