STUDIES ON THE COMPONENTS OF ESSENTIAL OILS——Ⅱ. Comparison of the Major Constituents of the Essential oil From two species of Dang gui(Angelica Sinensis(Oliv.) Diels and Levisticum Officinale koch.)

The major constituents of the essential oil obtained by two different methods (hexane extraction and steam distillation) of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels and Levisticum officinale Koch. were compared by GC and GC-MS. It was found they all contained a ligustilide, the content of which in the essential oil was about 45% and 35% respectively in the two plants.Gas chromatographic analysis was performed on a stainless steel column(2m×4mm i. d.) packed with 3% OV-101 on Gas Chrom Z (80～100 mesh). A flame ionization detector was used and the carrier gas was nitrogen.According to the similarity of the major constituents of the essential oil of these two species of Dang Gui, it is recommended Levisticum officinale may be considered as a substitute for Angelica sinensis in the essential oil preparations.